General Sundararajan Padmanabhan PVSM, AVSM, VSM (5 December 1940 – 18 August 2024)[1] was a General Officer of the Indian Army. He served as the 19th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.[2] General Padmanabhan succeeded General V.P. Malik on 30 September 2000.[2] He also served as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.[3]
Padmanabhan was born in a Tamil Brahmin family.[4] He was schooled at the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun. In 1956, Padmanabhan joined the National Defence Academy and then the Indian Military Academy, from where he graduated in 1959.
Padmanabhan was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery on 13 December 1959.[2]
He attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington in 1973. Post this, he commanded an Independent Light Battery from 1975 to 1976. He then commanded the Gazala Mountain Regiment from 1977 to 1980. He also served as Instructor Gunnery at the School of Artillery, Deolali and two terms as an instructor at the Indian Military Academy.
As a Brigadier, he attended the prestigious National Defence College, New Delhi.
He resided in Chennai after retirement.[5] Padmanabhan authored two books. He died in Chennai on 18 August 2024, at the age of 83.[6]
Gen. Padmanabhan was also an author of Indian military fiction, including the 2004 novel Writing on the Wall, the plot of which involves India fighting a war simultaneously with Pakistan while improving relations with China.
  
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| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
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Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 13 December 1959[7] |
 |
Lieutenant | Indian Army | 13 December 1961 |
 |
Captain | Indian Army | 13 December 1965[8] |
 |
Major | Indian Army | 13 December 1972[9] |
 |
Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 16 August 1978[10] |
 |
Colonel | Indian Army | 8 February 1985[11] |
 |
Brigadier | Indian Army | 13 April 1986[12] |
 |
Major General | Indian Army | 16 November 1991[13] |
 |
Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 1 November 1993[14] |
 |
General (COAS) |
Indian Army | 1 October 2000 |
| Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1948) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1948–1955) | ||
| Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present) |
| |
(**Seconded from the British Army) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
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