Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani

Who was Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani?

Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani was an Indian Navy Vice Admiral. He served as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff from 1987 to 1989. His prior commands included those as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command and the Commissioning Commanding Officer of the INS Rajput, the lead vessel of the Rajput class destroyers. He was awarded the Nausena Medal for gallantry during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

Vice Admiral Hiranandani is also credited with the detailed planning of the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala and INS Kadamba in Karwar, the foundation stones for which were laid during his tenure as flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command. During his tenure all Naval Training was centralized under the southern Naval Command. A brilliant tactician, his work remains pivotal to Indian naval training on maneuvers and operational tactics.

After retirement, Hiranandani served on the Union Public Service Commission. Later, he was appointed the Official Historian of the Indian Navy. He authored three landmark books on Indian naval history, Transition to Triumph, Transition to Eminence and Transition to Guardianship. These books covered the history of the Indian Navy from 1965 to 2000.