K. Sankaran Nair

K. Sankaran Nair
Born(1919-12-20)20 December 1919
Ottapalam, Madras Presidency, British India
(present day Palakkad, Kerala, India)
Died17 November 2015(2015-11-17) (aged 95)
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Other namesColonel Menon
Alma materLoyola College, Chennai
Occupations
  • Intelligence officer
  • Diplomat
  • Civil servant
Known forBangladesh Liberation War
AwardsPadma Bhushan

K. Sankaran Nair (20 December 1919 – 17 November 2015), known as Colonel Menon among his colleagues, was an Indian civil servant, diplomat and the director of Research and Analysis Wing.[1] He served as the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore from 1986 to 1988 and was the last surviving member of the Indian Imperial Police.[2] He was reported to have played a crucial role in the formation of Bangladesh, through R&AW operations during the Bangladesh Liberation War.[3]

His memoirs, Inside IB and RAW: A Rolling Stone that Gathered Moss,[4] published in 2008 made news for the insider details it contained about two of the highest intelligence agencies in India.[5] The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1983, for his contributions to society.[6]

  1. ^ "Former RAW chief Shankaran Nair passes away – The Hindu". The Hindu. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  2. ^ "K. Sankaran Nair, ex-RAW Chief is no more". Citizens Rights Group. 18 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Know about the man behind Bangladesh creation, K Sankaran Nair". India TV. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  4. ^ "The Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf". Central Intelligence Agency. 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Why a Kerala small town is an entire chapter in the story of India's official movers and shakers". Indian Express. 11 November 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2016.