Allegiance India Education Naval War College Years of service 1950–1987 Service/branch Indian Navy | Rank Admiral Children Tarun Tahiliani Name Radhakrishna Tahiliani | |
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Born 12 May 1930 ( 1930-05-12 ) Commands held Chief of the Naval Staff
Western Naval Command
Southern Naval Command
Western Fleet
Goa Area
INS Vikrant (R11)
INS Trishul (1960) Battles/wars Liberation of Goa
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Other work Governor of Sikkim
Chairman, Transparency International India and Balvantray Mehta Vidya Bhawan ASMA
Board member, Transparency International Died October 14, 2015, New Delhi Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Battles and wars Indian annexation of Portuguese India, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 | ||
Admiral Radhakrishna Hariram Tahiliani (12 May 1930 – 14 October 2015) was a four-star admiral in the Indian Navy. He served as the 13th Chief of the Naval Staff from December 1, 1984 until November 30, 1987. His prior commands included those as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C) of the Western Naval Command, FOC-IN-C of the Southern Naval Command and Flag Officer Commanding of the Western Fleet (FOCWF). A carrier-based aircraft pilot, he also served as the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant (R11).
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After retirement, Tahiliani served as the Governor of Sikkim from 1990 to 1994. He was a founder member and chairman of the India chapter of Transparency International (TI). He also served on the board of TI.
Naval career
Tahiliani was commissioned into the Indian Navy on September 1, 1950. He joined the Indian Naval Air Arm and qualified as a pilot for carrier-based aircraft. He is a graduate of the Naval War College, United States and the National Defence College, New Delhi. He also qualified as a test pilot.
He was the first naval pilot to land an aircraft on the deck of INS Vikrant (R11), when he landed his Hawker Sea Hawk fighter on 18 May 1961. He served as a carrier-based strike pilot on board INS Vikrant, and later commanded its carrier borne squadron during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
Later, he served as the commanding officer of INS Trishul (1960) and INS Vikrant.
In December 1977, he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed Flag Officer, Goa Area (FOGA). Later, he was appointed the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet (FOCWF).
His next appointment was as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (ACNS) at Naval Headquarters (NHQ). This was followed by appointment as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS). He was promoted to vice admiral while in this office.
In February 1982, then vice admiral, Tahiliani was appointed the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-IN-C), Southern Naval Command.
In March 1983, he was appointed the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. In May 1984, he was appointed the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS).
On December 1, 1984, he took over as the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Indian Navy.
Tahiliani retired from the Indian Navy on November 30, 1987.
Awards
Admiral Tahiliani was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for his distinguished service.
Later career
Tahiliani served as the Governor of Sikkim between February 8, 1990 and September 20, 1994.
He helped launch the India chapter of Transparency International as a founder member in 1997. He served as the chairman of the India chapter practically from its founding until 2010 and is chairperson of Balvantray Mehta Vidya Bhawan Anguridevi Shersingh, a senior secondary school located in the South District of New Delhi, India.
Tahiliani was elected to the board of Transparency International in 2002.
Personal life
Tahiliani was married to Jaswanti Tahiliani. His wife was the first female engineer in Mumbai. He is the father of noted Indian fashion designer, Tarun Tahiliani. He died on 14 October 2015.