A soldier few know, a record few can match: Brigadier Henry Bhaskar’s journey through two wars and beyond

A frontline officer in the 1965 and 1971 wars, Brigadier Bhaskar went on to become the first chairman of the Chittagong Port Trust in newly liberated Bangladesh.

Brigadier Henry Bhaskar is not a household name in India, not even in his home state of Tamil Nadu. Yet his record of service in the 1965 and 1971 wars speak volumes of his valour, grit and leadership that rarely seeks the spotlight.

Few would be aware that an Indian Army officer went on to become the first chairman of the strategically vital Chittagong Port Trust in newly liberated Bangladesh. That distinction belongs to Brigadier Bhaskar, who held the post as a Major in the Mahar Regiment, playing a crucial role in stabilising a key maritime gateway in the aftermath of the 1971 war.

He traces his roots to Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli and Thanjavur districts. “I come from a modest Tamil family. My father was a postal clerk. I studied in Chennai’s Thiagarajar College and even worked as a zoology demonstrator before an NCC officer told me, ‘You are wasting your time here. Join the Army.’ That changed my life,” he recalls.

The advice proved decisive. He cleared the examination for the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, joined in 1962 and was commissioned two years later following rigorous training.

In an exclusive conversation, Brigadier Bhaskar speaks about his experiences in the 1965 and 1971 wars, his transition into civilian life as a banker and administrator, and his later roles in Hyderabad, including his stint as CEO of the colonial-era Secunderabad Club and administrator of the Nizam’s Trust.

Living a content, peaceful retired life in his Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) home in Secunderabad, Brigadier Bhaskar has vivid memories of both wars. Just months after being commissioned, he found himself in the thick of action at the Khemkaran sector during the 1965 war. During an intense close‑quarter battle in pitch darkness, he confronted the towering Major Razvi of Pakistan’s 9 Baluch Regiment.