Laxminarayan Ramdas

Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas served as Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian navy taking the reins on 30 November 1990. He was born on 5 September 1933, and commissioned in the Indian Navy on 1 September 1953. He served as Aam Aadmi Party’s internal lokpal.

Ramdas was trained as a communication specialist in the Royal Naval Staff College in the United Kingdom. He then went on to head in the Naval Academy in Kochi, Kerala. One of his major accomplishments was the reconnaissance and interdiction of enemy vessels and bombing of East Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. Among the awards he won during his time in the Indian were: Vir Chakra, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal. He is also a keen sports person, enjoying cricket, golf and quite naturally yachting. For his efforts in trying to demilitarise and denuclearize South Asia, he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award for peace in 2004. He was against establishment of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu by congress government which was being established without popular support.

After retirement, Ramdas took up residence near the beach city of Alibag, Maharashtra. He was part of the group which filed a PIL in the Supreme Court of India against the appointment of the then Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh for the post of Chief of Army Staff.

Ramdas is married to Lalita Ramdas, who has served as the chair of Greenpeace International. Their daughter, Kavita Ramdas is the country representative of the Ford Foundation in India.