Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani

Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani (29 June 1931 – 1 September 2009) was an Indian Navy Vice Admiral. He served as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff from 1987 to 1989. His prior commands included those as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C) of the Southern Naval Command, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command and the Commissioning Commanding Officer of the INS Rajput, the lead vessel of the Rajput class destroyers. He was awarded the Nausena Medal for gallantry during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

Vice Admiral Hiranandani is also credited with the detailed planning of the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala and INS Kadamba in Karwar, the foundation stones for which were laid during his tenure as flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command. During his tenure all Naval Training was centralized under the southern Naval Command. A brilliant tactician, his work remains pivotal to Indian naval training on maneuvers and operational tactics.

After retirement, Hiranandani served on the Union Public Service Commission. Later, he was appointed the Official Historian of the Indian Navy. He authored three landmark books on Indian naval history, Transition to Triumph, Transition to Eminence and Transition to Guardianship. These books covered the history of the Indian Navy from 1965 to 2000.

Service career
Gulab Hiranandani joined the Royal Indian Navy in 1949. He trained with the Royal Navy, between 1949 and 1953. He underwent specialized training in Gunnery and Missiles in 1957. In 1965, he attended the Naval Staff College at Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He held a Master's degree in Military Science and a doctorate in Political Science.

In 1961, he was appointed the Commandant of INS Dronacharya.

During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, Hiranandani served as the Fleet Operations Officer of the Indian Navy. In this role, he led the detailed planning and logistics for key naval operations. He was awarded the Nausena Medal for his role in planning and implementing of Operation Trident and Operation Python.

Hiranandani served as the Director of Combat Policy and Tactics (DCPT) between 1974 and 1977. He was a deep thinker and brilliant tactician. His work on naval strategy remains the basis for much of the tactical training and operational maneuvers of the Indian Navy. He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for this contribution.

In 1980, he commissioned INS Rajput, the lead vessel of the Rajput class destroyers as its first Commanding Officer.

He was appointed the Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command in 1981. He was appointed the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff in 1983.

In 1985, Vice Admiral Hiranandani was appointed the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Southern Naval Command. During his tenure in this office, he led the detailed planning for the development of the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala. He was also involved in the planning of INS Kadamba in Karwar, Karnataka. He was instrumental in persuading the Chief Ministers of Kerala and Karnataka to transfer the land for these massive projects to the navy. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for these contributions.

In 1987, he was appointed the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. Vice Admiral Hiranandani retired from active service in the Indian Navy in 1989.

Later contributions
After retirement from the Navy, Admiral Hiranandani served as a member of the Union Public Service Commission for six years between 1989 and 1995. He retired as the commission's Acting Chairman.

In 1995, he was appointed the Official Historian of the Indian Navy. He authored a trilogy on the history of the Indian navy. Transition to Triumph covering the period between 1965 and 1975 was published in 1999. Transition to Eminence captures naval history between 1976 and 1990 was published in 2004. Transition to Guardianship covers the history of the navy between 1991 and 2000 and was completed just before his death. It was released on Navy Day, 4 December 2009. This contemporary history of the Indian Navy is Unique in that by providing a detailed account on Naval history in the 20th century it allows Naval officers to learn about naval history and perhaps help them to learn from this and prevent mistakes. One of Admiral Hiranandani's Favourite saying's was "Those who fail to learn from the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them"

Vice Admiral Hiranandani also wrote a number of analytical reports on a maritime security and strategic issues. and analysis reports He was a mentor & guide to many generations of Naval officers. The Naval history cell in Naval headquarters was a place for many young officers to seek advice and guidance on a whole range of issues.

Personal life
Vice Admiral Hiranandani was married to Banu Hiranandani. His son, Dr Manik Hiranandani, is an eminent physician. His daughter, Meera Sanyal, is a well-known banker and civil society activist.