Chennai: “More you sweat in peace, less you bleed in war. Every day is Independence Day for us,” says Commander L Radhakrishnan of K K Nagar, who served in the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years.
The Commander wants youngsters to join the armed forces where there is tremendous opportunities. India got Independence after many sacrifices by people and it continues to be independent because of the armed forces, he pointed out.
Navy gives training in navigation, communication and cyber warfare, antisubmarine warfare and many more which are challenging and good, he said.
Radhakrishnan said nowadays youngsters are looking to work in multinational companies or BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) for lesser pay with no benefits.
“Youngsters with various educational backgrounds are needed for the armed forces,” he explained.
Soon after graduating from Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Mylapore, in M.Sc Mathematics, Radhakrishnan took up a job in his native Karaikal as assistant professor in Mathematics at Government Arts College for a year. Though he was interested in the uniformed services, he could not join because recruitment was frozen due to the 1971 war. In 1972, he joined the Navy and served in various places in different positions.
“Since my school days, I was attracted to the uniform. I was in school and college NCC (National Cadet Corps) and decided to be in the force. My classmate M A Gowri Shankar asked me to join him for IAS preparations but I said ‘no’. He later went on to become one of the top IAS officers in Tamilnadu,” Radhakrishnan said.
The Commander said his mother was not happy when he went to Roorkee for training because he didn’t know Hindi. He then joined as acting subieutenant and went on to become Commander which is no small feat. He served in west and east coast, Bombay and Cochin in the west, and Chilika (Odisha), Visakhapatnam and Chennai in the east.
He also served in the National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune, as a trainer to groom upcoming Navy officers in India.
“During Independence Day, the Governor in the State usually invites us for tea and there is no special event like those in the Indian Army,” Radhakrishnan recalled.
During the Kargil War in 1999, he was serving in the Chennai coast. “We were asked to be vigilant, and those days LTTE was strong and anything can happen. Armed forces should be vigilant round-the-clock so that India can live in peace and with independence,” he added.
Though he has retired, Radhakrishnan works as secretary, Navy Foundation, which looks after the welfare of Navy veterans in the city. He is also president of Rotary Club of Chennai IT City. Occasionally, he gives motivational speeches.
Caption: Commander L Radhakrishnan
Caption: Commander L Radhakrishnan paying homage at War Memorial in Chennai during Kargil Diwas.