Surendra Singh Panwar

Early life and education

Surendra Panwar was born in Dehradun, and attended Colonel Brown Cambridge School as a child. He pursued post-secondary studies at Allahabad University.

Military career

Surendra Panwar entered the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery on 3 May 1942. He went on to serve with the Dagger Division (19th Infantry Division) in Burma during World War II and in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. In 1949 he entered the British Long Gunnery Staff Course at the School of Anti-aircraft Artillery in Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, Wales. A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, his service continued in the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. In between the wars, Brigadier Panwar created the Air Defence Brigade for New Delhi in 1964. In 1968-1969 he represented India, serving as chairman on the International Control Commission in Vietnam. At the end of his tenure he served as Sub-Area commander for Lucknow from 1969–1971, and Ambala from 1971-1972. Among his many appointments, he was Chief Instructor at the School of Artillery in Deolali and the Deputy Director of Artillery at Army Headquarters. He retired as a Brigadier in 1973.

Later life

He would later serve as President of the All India Gurkha Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association from 1983–2002, providing guidance and looking after the welfare of ex-Gurkha soldiers and their families. Surendra Panwar would also serve on the board of trustees for Cambrian Hall and the Gurkha Military College.