Achievements muted at Admiral’s last journey

Admiral SM Nanda, who died on Monday evening at 93, led the Navy to independent India’s most sterling and credible naval victories.

During the 1971 war with Pakistan, Indian Navy commanded by him carried out stunning attacks on Karachi, successfully blockaded East Pakistan and stood its ground as the American Seventh Fleet was sailing menacingly into the Bay of Bengal. In fact, Nanda reportedly asked his local commander to invite the American fleet commander over for a drink.

At his funeral on Tuesday, celebrations of those successes were muted. But visible, by the absence of many personalities, was the controversies that Nanda kicked up after retirement. In the late 80s he was trailed by CBI investigators, after it emerged that he was a key agent for the German submarine manufacturer HDW. All through the 90s and until today his son Suresh Nanda, a former navy officer, remains a powerful arms dealers.

To many, Admiral Nanda’s dabblings in the arms industry as an illegal arms dealer clouded out most of his achievements. Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta wasn’t much off the mark when he said, “In his passing, the nation has lost a hero and a visionary leader, who contributed significantly to the growth of the modern Indian Navy. He will always be remembered in the most glowing terms for his leadership of the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pak Conflict of 1971, in which the Indian Navy carved its name in golden letters in the annals of history.”

But through his reckless business dealings, Admiral Nanda ensured that he became a pariah of sorts, not remain the national hero that he in fact was. Probably why defence minister AK Antony and the chiefs of army and air force stayed away from his funeral.
Admiral Nanda started his career with the Port Trust in Karachi, against which he strategised the much-lauded 1971 attack. He joined the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1941, and moved to the Indian Navy after Independence.

After retirement, Nanda established the Crown Corporation, which was into supply of submarine batteries and providing logistical support to militaries in Africa and UN peacekeeping forces. When Nanda’s name cropped up as HDW’s agent, many thought it was an aberration.  Nanda blamed his business rivals. But his son Suresh Nanda is named in several CBI cases into arms deals, and the family has amassed fortunes worth several hundred crores of rupees.

Nanda was also haunted by personal tragedies. The worst was his grandson Sanjeev Nanda mowing down 6 people with his BMW in 1999. Sanjeev got interim bail to be at his controversial grandfather’s funeral.