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Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, the man who commanded the 1st Armoured Division which played a vital role in bringing the Nizam of Hyderabad to his knees in Operation Polo, was born today.
Died on 6th April 1983
Jayonto Nath Chaudhari was born in Haripur, Bengal into an autocratic and esteemed Bengali brahmin family which was known for producing numerous prominent scholars, lawyers and activist. His family was of Zamindars, and they were known as the Chaudhuri's of Haripur in Bengal. His grandfather was the zamindar in present-day Bangladesh. We can go on and on about his family but let's get back to the Hero of our article.
He got his education from the University of Calcutta, then from Highgate school in London and from there, he went to Royal Military College at Sandhurst. At Sandhurst, he was nicknamed "Muchuu" (courtesy of his moustache). The future president of Pakistan Ayub Khan was a batchmate of Jayanto over there.When he came back to India, he joined the 1st battalion North Staffordshire Regiment in 1928. He was finally got into the Indian Army in 1929.
In 1940, an opportunity came when he was sent overseas as an acting major, with the 5th Infantry Division to fight in the western deserts of Africa. He showed great valour during his time and for distinguished services in the Middle East was mentioned in dispatches. He was rewarded with The Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 18 February 1943 for his exceptional services in the Gulf. The OBE brought him great fame and prestige, and he was soon recalled to India where he was appointed as a Senior Instructor at the Command and Staff College. He was soon transferred to the 16th Light Cavalry as Lieutenant-Colonel to lead the Burma campaign which he led successfully for which he got mentioned in the dispatches yet again.
His thirst for knowledge didn't end. He took another course at the Imperial Defence College in London, and when he returned home and was appointed Director of Military Operations & Intelligence of Independent India in November 1947. He swung to action and completed military evacuation from Pakistan. Furthermore, he took charge of the operations in the Kashmir war and handled it up to May 1948, when Brig. Sam Manekshaw took over.Then he rose to the rank of Major General and later became the Chief of General staff. The success of Operation Polo made him a hero and was soon made the Military-Governor of the Hyderabad State.
The Indian army was caught off guard during the Indo-China war which led to a disaster and led to the resignation of Pran Nath Thapar. J.N. Chaudhari soon succeeded him and was officially appointed in his place.
General J.N. Chaudhari is considered as one of the founding fathers of the Border Security Force which was created post-Indo-Pak war of 1965 especially to guard the borders. In his honour, the BSF annually awards its best infantry battalion with the Gen. J. N. Chaudhari trophy.
He retired after an illustrious career spanning almost 4 decades and was honoured with numerous awards even by the likes of Gamal Abdel Nasser, his country honoured him with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan for his invaluable services to the nation.
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