The Gentleman Spymaster of India - Rameshwar Nath Kao

My Dear Young Indians,

There are some who believe - The Institution is important. Individuals don’t matter.

 

INDIAN SPIES- They are the ones who act as eyes & ears of Indian Military but are never in public eye. They are never rewarded for all that they do for our motherland.

A successful spy is never known by the public. If his identity is known then he is unsuccessful.... and this may turn out to be the reason of his death.

Why are we talking about Indian Spies today ?

Because today is the 103^rd Birthday of The Greatest Spymaster of India-  Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao

• Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao was born on 10 May, 1918 in Benares.
  
• Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is the intelligence agency of India that focuses on activities and persons outside India. Information gathered by agencies such as RAW is referred to as 'intelligence'. In one word this is 'Spying' to insure India's security.
• Secret and internal information of other countries and foreign governments helps India maintain its security. It helps us to be prepared for any overt or covert offensive operations of enemy countries.
• Other countries of the world also have such intelligence agencies. USA has CIA, erstwhile USSR had KGB, Israel has Mossad...... 
  
• When was RAW established- 21 Sep 1968
• Who was the Prime Minister of India then- Mrs Indira Gandhi
• Who was entrusted with the responsibility of establishing RAW- Rameshwar Nath Kao. He was then a Deputy Director of The Intelligence Bureau 

Rameshwar Nath Kao

 

• What is the Intelligence Bureau (IB)- It is an organisation of the Govt of India (set up during the British rule) responsible for gathering information and intelligence on activities of enemies and other activities sponsored by enemies of state. Intelligence gathering is done covertly (secretly).
  
• Until RAW was established in 1968, internal (within India) as well as external (outside India) intelligence gathering was the responsibility of IB.
• After establishment of RAW, it was entrusted with external (foreign) intelligence and IB was responsible for internal intelligence. 
• Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao is credited with establishing RAW as a formidable agency in a very short span of time. Just three years after RAW was established, India went to war with Pakistan in 1971. Intelligence gathered by RAW provided an edge to Indian Armed Forces.
• After completing his graduation he joined The Imperial Police Service in 1939 (which was later renamed as Indian Police Service after independence).  In June1947 he was deputed to Central Intelligence Bureau (Intelligence/ spy organisation before independence)
  
• His trained and trusted agents/ spies were referred to as Kao-Boys- such was his aura and efficiency !
  
• He retired from RAW in 1977. 
• Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao was a very private man.  Media and press reporters had a hard time reaching him. He avoided the limelight
• Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao- The Gentleman Spymaster of India- passed away on 20 January 2002.
  
• Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao is remembered as the 'Architect of Bangladesh' for his covert contribution towards training the rebels in East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) and efficiently managing spy operations in East and West Pakistan. 

Rameshwar Nath Kao in the centre

As obvious, operations of RAW are classified (secret). No one knows or can narrate operations of RAW except those who participated in these operations but they would never do that in public. However, the following are believed to be some contributions of RAW during the times of Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao -

• In 1971 Pakistan planned to sink and destroy INS Vikrant - the aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. Indian Spies in Pakistan acquired and passed on the information to India prior to the commencement of war. INS Vikrant was saved because of Indian spies. A Pakistani submarine was on way to the Bay of Bengal where INS Vikrant was stationed. Because of prior intelligence, Indian Navy destroyed the Pakistani submarine. Bollywood film "Ghazi" is based on this action. Bollywood film "Raazi" is based on the Indian spy who had alerted Indian authorities about the planned attack by Pakistan on INS Vikrant. This film is based on a real life story- "Calling Sehmat"- by a retired officer of Indian Navy.
• On 16 December 1971 the war came to an end and Sheikh Mujibur Rehman became the Prime Minister of the Bangladesh (earlier East Pakistan). Few years later in December 1974, Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao met Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in Dhaka and told him that he had credible intelligence that officers of the Bangladesh army were plotting to assassinate him. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman is reported to have said- They are my children. They will not harm me.
• As per some accounts Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao had gone to Bangladesh disguised as a 'betel-nut exporter' to meet and alert Sheikh Mujibur Rehman.
  
• In March 1975, Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao sent his trusted man to once again alert Sheikh Mujibur Rehman with the exact details of the plot. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was again casual with the warning.
  
• On 15 August 1975, at midnight Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and his entire family was shot and killed by the Bangladesh army, as was warned by Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao. Such was the accuracy of RAW intelligence. (Mujibur Rehman's daughter who was in West Germany then was saved. She is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh- Sheikh Hasina).
  
• Shri Rameshwar Nath Kao played a pivotal role in merging the Kingdom of Sikkim with The Union of India in 1975. This is another important and interesting part of our history.......We will discuss this in detail some other day.
• Ravindra Kaushik is regarded as one of the most successful spies of RAW. Before he left for Pakistan in the 1970s, all his identification documents and history of his life in India was destroyed. He started a new life in Pakistan as a Pakistani. Studied in a college there and then joined the Pakistan army. He was a Major rank officer there. He also married a Pakistani girl. Some years later, a blunder by a junior agent spilled the beans and the cover was blown up. Ravindra Kaushik was arrested by Pakistan, tortured and finally he passed away in a Pakistani jail. 

Indian authorities never accepted that he was an Indian agent and his body was never handed over to his family by Pakistan. Some people are of the view that India should have made efforts to get him released from Pakistani jail and should have honoured his family.

BUT the fact remains that spying is a covert (secret) activity. The Govt CANNOT accept that it is spying on other countries. The country cannot recognise its spies publicly.

A successful spy is never known by the public. Remaining elusive and unidentified is the yardstick of his success. If his identity is revealed that means he has failed (for what ever reasons, may be someone else's fault).

That is why I said- Success is not rewarded and failure is death.

 

A man and his men (Kao and his Kao-boys) made such invaluable contribution to safety, security and integrity of India even at the risk of their lives fully knowing that success will never be recognised and no rewards will come their way but failure would be critisised, ridicules showered and everything may come to an end with death .

What was the force, what was the fire that energised them ?

I firmly believe, it was their mad love for their motherland.

One who feels that his motherland is his responsibility, one who feels that she is the Nation......will do anything and everything for INDIA. 

 

My Dear Indians,

Whatever you do, do it as a service to your motherland. 

Study sincerely, take your exams honestly, play hard to win for your team, do your duty with devotion and with the larger good of the country at heart.... Because your motherland is your responsibility. You are INDIA.

Jai Hind !