Air Marshal Kodandera Nanda Cariappa

Air Marshal Kodandera Nanda Cariappa was born on 4^th January 1938 in Kodagu was an Airforce Officer. He is the son of Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, the first Indian Army Commander-in-Chief. He is an environmentalist who took on the powerful timber lobby in Kodagu.

Family

Father

Kodandera KM Cariappa

Mother

Kodandera (Maneyapanda) Muthamma(Pearl)

Wife

Kodandera Meena

Daughters

Kaveri

Gayathri

Education

Lawrence school Sanawar

Career

• Date Commissioned-29 May 1957
• Wing Commander-1^st April 1978
• Acting Group Captain-27^th October 1980
• Air Commander-7^th October 1985
• AVM-2^nd July 1990
• Acting Air Marshal-16^th March 1994
• Air Marshal-18^th October 1993
• C-In C- 6^th June 1994

Achievements

• Air Marshal Kodandera C Cariappa, VM was commissioned as a fighter pilot on 29 May 1957. As a young pilot, he qualified as a flying instructor.
•  While on an instructional tenure he was attached to a fighter squadron to participate in the 1965 operations. He was shot down on an operational mission and taken prisoner of war. Released with injuries in a POW exchange after the war, he converted onto helicopters before being selected by the then CAS to be his ADC.
• He commanded a helicopter squadron before and during the 1971 war. For his performance in command of the squadron, he was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in January 1973.
• After regaining his medical category, he reverted to the fighter stream and also commanded a fighter squadron.
• An alumnus of Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), he served as directing staff of the College of Air Warfare.
• He successfully commanded a fighter base and was selected by the CAS to be his Air Assistant. Thereafter, he was specially selected to undergo the course at prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies in England. On return to India he was appointed Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Station Gwalior.
• On promotion to Air Vice Marshal, he was appointed as Chief Instructor (Air) at DSSC. Later he was the Air Officer Commanding, Advance Headquarters, Western Air Command, where he contributed significantly to the overall operational plans.
• On promotion to the rank of Air Marshal, he successfully held the appointment of Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of Eastern Air Command (EAC).
• Inspite of disturbed insurgency conditions, he provided a fresh impetus into the operational plans and their modes of implementation. The Air Officer presently holds the vital appointment of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Air Command.
• He retired from service on January 31.1996

Awards

• Received the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) on 26 Jan 1973
• He was awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal on 26 Jan 1995
• Coorg person of the year 2009