Venugopal Sub-Area GOC

BANGALORE: Major General Ashok Kumar Pradhan, the man who unleashed a silent revolution in Indian Army, by inspiring his men through a slew of HR-centric measures is bidding goodbye to Karnataka. Pradhan, currently the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Head Quarters, Karnataka and Kerala (K&K) Sub-Area, will hand over the baton to Maj Gen K S Venugopal.Army sources told Express on Wednesday that Venugopal had till recently handled the operations and logistics of the Indian Army at the Southern Command. The man of the moment touched down in Bangalore on Wednesday and will take over the reins of Karnataka and Kerala Sub-Area on March 9 at a ceremonial event. Pradhan will move to the prestigious Infantry School in Mhow (Madhya Pradesh) as the Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor.Venugopal, an alumni of the National Defence Academy, joined the Army in 1976 and took part in a number of counter-insurgency operations over the years. A recipient of Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM), Venugopal comes with loads of expertise executing  numerous critical missions and projects for the Army.  Pradhan, the first Major General of K&K Sub-Area, is being credited with many initiatives that set new benchmarks for the welfare of troops. “His biggest weapon is patience and won many ‘battles’ and hearts by being a down-to-earth soldier. We were given absolute freedom, and he set himself high standards of integrity. Welfare of Ex-Servicemen was paramount and he kept reminding every solider that they too will join the ranks of retired men one day,” a senior serving official with Karnataka and Kerala  Sub-Area said.While it is seldom that a serving official gets such accolades in the Army, considering the highly politicised set-up within the ranks and among the units, Pradhan executed most of his missions as a silent soldier. In a recent interaction with Express, Pradhan had said: “If you want your troops to follow you, then you will have to be closer to them.”