Lieutenant Colonel

R Vishwanathan

VrC
Born(1960-01-12)12 January 1960
Kochi, Kerala
Died2 June 1999(1999-06-02) (aged 39)
Tololing, Kargil,
Kashmir, India
AllegianceIndia Republic of India
Service/branch Indian Army
Years of service1980-1999
Rank Lieutenant colonel
Unit18 Grenadiers
Battles/warsKargil War
Operation Vijay
Awards Vir Chakra
Spouse(s)Jalja Vishwanathan[1]

Lieutenant Colonel Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan, VrC was the second-in-command of 18 Grenadiers which was conducting operations on and around Tololing mountain, Drass sector, Kargil, during Operation Vijay. He was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra for his actions during the Kargil War.[2][3] A Tripunithura a street near Eroor Pisharikovil Temple is named in his honour.

Early life

Vishwanathan was born to V Ramakrishna Iyer and Kamala, in 1960. He was raised in Kochi and attended Kendriya Vidyalaya at Gandhi Nagar in Kadavanthra.[4]

Military life

Vishwanathan was commissioned into the Indian Army on June 1981 after completing his military training from National Defence Academy in 1980. He had served with the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka and later with the UN Peacekeeping Force[5] in Angola.[6]

The then Colonel Khushal Thakur, commanding-officer of the 18 grenadiers, recalled Vishwanathan's courage with the narrative, "The 18 Grenadiers had launched three unsuccessful attacks on Tololing. On June 2, Lt. Col. R Vishwanathan volunteered to go."[7]

Vir Chakra Citation

The citation for the Vir Chakra reads as follows

Gazette Notification: 113Pres/98,15-8-99
Operation: Vijay - Kargil
Date of Award: 1999

Citation: During 'Operation Vijay', Lieutenant Colonel Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan was the Second-in-Command of 18 Grenadiers, which was conducting operations in the Tololing area of Drass sector. He displayed rare valour in closing in on enemy positions under prohibitive enemy automatic fire and intense artillery shelling, thus taking the enemy by complete surprise along a very difficult approach and terrain at an altitude ofover 15,000 feet. During the attack, Lieutenant Colonel Vishwanathan sustained multiple gunshot wounds. In spite of being severely injured he refused to be evacuated and exhorted his troops to press on further. He charged through enemy defences destroying three enemy positions and eliminated four intruders single-handedly in a close hand-to-hand combat. Due to his efforts, the battalion could secure afoothold on the enemy location which later facilitated capture of Point 4590.

Though Second-in-Command of his unit, Lieutenant Colonel Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan disregarded his seniority and preferred being where his men were fighting: and led from the front during assaults on well-fortified enemy positions in Tololing. He however succumbed to his injuries making the supreme sacrifice for the nation in the best traditions of the Indian Army.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Photogallery: The Day's Images". Rediff.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Gallantry Awards | Ministry of Defence, Government of India". Gallantry Awards. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "Lt Col Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan, VrC | Honourpoint". Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  4. ↑ | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2020/07/26/lt-colonel-vishwanathan-kargil-war-kerala-homage.html
  5. ↑ India Today International. Vol. 24. Living Media India Limited. 1999. p. 19.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ↑ "Kerala pays homage to Lt Col Vishwanathan, who was martyred in Kargil war".
  7. ↑ Thakur, Aksheev (26 July 2020). "Kargil Vijay Diwas: How Indian soldiers fought Pakistani intruders". Deccan Chronicle.
  8. ↑ "Vir Chakra (VRC), Awardee: Lt Col Ramakrishnan Vishwanathan, VRC @ TWDI".
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