In continuation of our efforts to get a deeper connection of the residents with the luminaries residing in our colony, we interviewed Rear Admiral Sanjiv Kapoor (Retd.), residing at N 175, Panchshila Park.
As a Navy man, Sanjiv has been at sea, so to speak, and has witnessed experiences that many cannot fathom.
Sanjiv is the eldest of three siblings and was born on 12th December 1947 in Bombay, a little after India gained independence. His father served in the Navy and, thanks to his multiple postings, Sanjiv studied in Scindia’s Boarding School at Gwalior from class 7 onwards.
He emotionally recalls the major tragic incident of his life when, at the age of 14 years, he lost his mother. His father had to bring up the three kids alone. Sanjiv’s grandparents shifted from Ambala to support the family.
Inspired perhaps by his father’s profession, Sanjiv joined the NDA. He attributes his physical discipline and mental toughness to his years at Khadakwasla. He has maintained his regimen of daily physical activity – be it Squash, Golf, swimming or walking, all these years.
The Navy exposed him to a wide variety of countries and their culture, ranging from Fiji, London, Australia, Burma, Middle East, to Malaysia, Ethiopia, and Russia, to name some. He fondly recalled the time in 1968 when their team of cadets did a march past in front of Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia. Sanjiv commanded many ships in his tenure, but he remembers two of them clearly. One was a 440 ft. long destroyer, loaded with guided missiles, rockets and torpedoes amongst other weaponry. The second was a ship called Beas which his father captained and brought from the UK to India in 1960. Sanjiv served on Beas in 1971 as a Sub-Lieutenant during the Indo Pak war and, in 1984, he became its captain. This was the first ever instance of a father and son commanding the same ship.
