Ex-Army Chief Gen Sundararajan Padmanabhan dies in Chennai on Monday

Former Chief of Army Staff General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, affectionately known as Paddy in army circles, passed away in Chennai due to old age, a source close to him said on Monday.

He was 83. He served as the Chief of Army Staff from September 30, 2000 to 31 December 31, 2002.

He commanded an Independent Artillery Brigade and a Mountain Brigade before attending the prestigious NDC course at Delhi.

He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for his services as the 15 Corps Commander.

Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on December 5, 1940, General Padmanabhan was an alumnus of the prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehra Dun, and the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla in Pune.

He was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery after graduating from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on December 13, 1959.

His illustrious career included several prestigious command, staff and instructional postings, besides having participated in numerous operat