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Lieutenant General Surindra Nath Sharma PVSM AVSM (born 3 October 1923) is a retired Indian Army general and military engineer who last served as engineer-in-chief of the Indian Army.[1]
Surindra Nath Sharma | |
|---|---|
 Lt Gen Surindra Nath Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, (retd), standing in front of his photograph as a parachute-wearing Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army. | |
| Born | 3 October 1923 |
| Allegiance |  British India India |
| Service |  British Indian Army Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1981 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Service number | IC-1475 |
| Unit | Madras Sappers Bengal Sappers 20 Field Company Bombay Sappers |
| Commands | Indian Army Corps of Engineers |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards |  Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal |
Sharma was commissioned into the Madras Sappers of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, then the engineering corps of the British Indian Army, in October 1944.[1] Transferring to the Bengal Sappers, he was attached to 2nd Field Company in 1945–1946. He further qualified as a paratrooper and following Indian independence and partition, was posted to the 20th Field Company of the Bombay Sappers, subsequently commanding the 411 Parachute Field Company of the Parachute Brigade.[1] Sharma then served as adjutant of the training battalion of the Bombay Sappers for three months in 1948 before receiving a posting as a Group Task Officer with a services selection board, returning as adjutant of the training battalion in 1950.[1]
On 15 January 1964, Sharma was appointed a military attaché to the High Commission of India in Australia, with the local rank of colonel.[2] He served in this capacity until 14 April 1967.[3] On 8 May 1970, he was appointed Chief Engineer, Northern Zone with the acting rank of brigadier,[4] and was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in the 1971 Republic Day decorations list.[5]
On 21 August 1973, Sharma was appointed Chief Engineer, Eastern Command.[6] In 1979, he was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army, and was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in the 1981 Republic Day decorations list.[7] Sharma retired from the army on 31 October 1981 after 42 years of service; in the final two days of his active service, he conducted parachute jumps in Agra with the Para Field Company, and on his final day of active duty, instead of attending his farewell ceremony in Delhi, elected for a parachute jump.[1] Remaining an avid parachutist well into his retirement, Sharma conducted his last jump at the age of 86.[1]
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Sharma is the second son of Major General Amar Nath Sharma, a military doctor who retired as Director Medical Services (Army). His elder brother, Major Somnath Sharma, was the first recipient and first posthumous recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), the highest Indian military decoration. His younger brother General Vishwa Nath Sharma also achieved flag rank, serving as Chief of the Army Staff from 1988 to 1990, while a sister, Major Kamla Tiwari, followed her father into the Indian Army Medical Corps. Another sister, Manorama Sharma, was an educationist and social worker.[1]
Sharma is married. He turned 100 in October 2023.[1]
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| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
_OF-1a.svg){kind=small} | Second Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 4 August 1944 (emergency) 1946 (substantive) |
_OF-1b.svg){kind=small} | Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 4 February 1947[8] |
| Lieutenant | Indian Army | 15 August 1947[note 1][9] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[9][10] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 4 August 1951[11] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 4 August 1958[12] |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 9 June 1965[13] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 1 October 1974 (seniority from 28 December 1973)[14] |
| Lieutenant General | Indian Army | 1979 |
- Upon independence in 1947, India became a Dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations. As a result, the rank insignia of the British Army, incorporating the Tudor Crown and four-pointed Bath Star ("pip"), was retained, as George VI remained Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. After 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the President of India became Commander-in-Chief, and the Ashoka Lion replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."
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