THE FIGHTING GENERAL

eneral Bipin Rawat, 63, who died tragically in a helicopter crash on December 8, was India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and longest-serving general. On December 31 this year, he would have completed an unprecedented five years as a general, three as India’s 26th Chief of Army Staff and two as its first CDS. He eclipsed General K.S. Thimayya’s record of four years last December, without even knowing he had. The burden of expectations from being permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee; Secretary, Department of Military Affairs and functional