Malay Kumar Lahiri

Malay Lahiri was born in Gaffargaon, Mymensingh district (now in Bangladesh), the fourth child of Ashwini Kumar Lahiri and Narmada Lahiri. Ashwini Lahiri was the Principal of Ananda Mohan College, Mymensingh and stayed on after partition before moving to Calcutta, West Bengal after his children had already moved. Malay Lahiri's early schooling was in Mymensingh after which he followed his elder brother to Calcutta. His immediate elder sibling was in the NDA and Malay followed him there and became a Gentleman Cadet in what was then called the Joint Services Wing. Incidentally, his youngest brother became a doctor and joined the Army Medical Corps (AMC) and retired as a Lieutenant General also, as Director General Armed Forces Medical Services, with both brothers being serving Lieutenant Generals at the same time.

Lahiri was an officer in the Indian Army^[2] and played for Gorkha Brigade and Services in the Durand Tournament and Santosh Trophy.

He was commissioned to the Third Battalion of the 3 Gorkha Rifles on 4 December 1954 and was awarded the silver medal. The Gold Medal in his Course was awarded to GC Bipin Chandra Joshi, later Chief of Army Staff. This 14th Course was a distinguished one with officers going on to the rank of Lieutenant General.

After the Sino-Indian War of 1962, he was selected to go to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to undergo training and then graduated from the US Army Special Warfare School. After successfully completing the Course in Psychological Operations, Counter Insurgency and Special Forces Operations, he came back to India to design and set-up the Commando Wing for the Indian Army at Infantry School, Mhow which was then relocated to Belgaum.

His major assignments in his 38-year career in the Indian Army were:

• Commissioned into 3/3 Gorkha Rifles
• Underwent training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
• Commanding Officer of 4/3 Gorkha Rifles
• Commander, 25 Infantry Brigade
• National Defence College
• Defence Advisor, High Commission of India, Bangladesh
• General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Mountain Division
• Commandant Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School
• Director General Assam Rifles
• General Officer Commanding (GOC) IV Corps
• Director General National Cadet Corps

He was also the President, Gorkha Brigade of the Indian Army and Colonel of the Regiment of 3rd Gorkha Rifles. He was awarded the highest peacetime military award the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) by the President of India in the Republic Day honours of 1992. He retired from Service on 30 September 1992, and died from cancer in New Delhi, on 16 February 1996, at the age of 61.