Ralengnao Khathing MC, MBE (1912–1990) popularly known as Bob Khathing, was an Indian soldier, civil servant and diplomat and the first person of tribal origin to serve as an Ambassador for India. The

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

honoured him in 1957, with the award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his services to the nation. Ralengnao Khathing led the first armed forces into Tawang that established Indian control in the region,under the direct supervision of the then Assam governor

Jairamdas Daulatram Jairamdas Daulatram (1891–1979) was an Indian political leader from Sindh, who was active in the Indian independence movement and later served in the Government of India. He was appointed as the Governor for the states of Bihar and later Assam ...

Biography

Ralengnao Khathing was born on 28 February 1912 (date of birth disputed, other reports stating it as 25 February and 8 February) at

Ukhrul Ukhrul/Hunphun ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is a town in the state of Manipur, India. Ukhrul is the home of the Tangkhul Nagas. It is the administrative headquarter of the Ukhrul district. There are also four sub- ...

, a suburban district near

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the ...

, in the North East Indian state of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a States and territories of India, state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It ...

in a Tangkhul family. He did his schooling at Kangpokpi Mission ME School and Johnstone Higher Secondary School, Imphal and joined Cotton College, Guwahati of Calcutta University from where he graduated, becoming first tribal graduate from the Manipur. He started his career by joining the British Army and participated in World War II, first as the Commissioner of the 19th Hyderabad Regiment (later day

Kumaon Regiment The Kumaon Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its origins to the 18th century and has fought in every major campaign of the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, including the two world wa ...

) and then as the Local Captain of the

V Force V Force was a reconnaissance, intelligence-gathering and guerrilla organisation established by the British against Japanese forces during the Burma Campaign in World War II. Establishment and organisation In April 1942, when the Japanese drove t ...

Operations in Manipur. Khathing, on advice from the then Maharaja of Manipur, retired from the Army after the war and joined the Government of Manipur as the Minister for Hills Administration. After the Indian independence, he was elected to the first Manipur Assembly, in 1948, representing Sadar constituency and served as the Minister for Hills Administration and Manipur Rifles till the assembly was dissolved in 1949, upon assimilation into Indian Union. The next year, he was selected as the Assistant Commandant of the 2nd Battalion of

Assam Rifles The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. It guards the Indo-Myanmar border. The Assam rifles is the oldest paramilitary for ...

. During his tenure there, he was involved with the rescue and rehabilitation operations in the wake of the 1950 earthquake in Assam. The next assignment was as the Assistant Political Officer of

North East Frontier Agency The North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), originally known as the North-East Frontier Tracts (NEFT), was one of the political divisions in British India, and later the Republic of India until 20 January 1972, when it became the Union Territory of ...

(NEFA). Under his leadership, two platoons of Assam Rifles took possession of

Tawang Tawang is a town and administrative headquarter of Tawang district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The town was once the capital of the Tawang Tract, which is now divided into the Tawang district and the West Kameng district. Tawang ...

in 1950, establishing Indian administrative control in the Bum La area along

McMahon Line The McMahon Line is the boundary between Tibet and British India as agreed in the maps and notes exchanged by the respective plenipotentiaries on 24–25 March 1914 at Delhi, as part of the 1914 Simla Convention. The line delimited the res ...

. In 1953, the

constituted the Indian Frontier Administrative Service (IFAS) and Khathing was inducted as one of the two officers of the civil service. His first posting as an IFAS officer was at Tuensang Frontier Division as the Political Officer in 1954 and his contribution is reported in the establishment of the Village Volunteer Force. After four years at the post, he was promoted as the first Deputy Commissioner of

Mokokchung district Mokokchung District (Pron:/ˌməʊkɒkˈtʃʌŋ/) is a district of Nagaland state in India. The town of Mokokchung is its headquarters. The district is the home of the Ao Nagas. It is bounded by the state of Assam to its north, Wokha Distr ...

. In 1961, he became the first Indian citizen to study at the National Defence College, New Delhi and completed the course in its second batch. The next year, he was posted as the Development Commissioner of Sikkim but the tenure was short lived as he was transferred as the Security Commissioner of NEFA when the

Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...

of 1962 broke out. He also worked as the Chief Civil Liaison Officer of IV Corps,

Tezpur Tezpur () is a city and urban agglomeration in Sonitpur district, Assam state, India. Tezpur is located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, northeast of Guwahati, and is the largest of the north bank cities with a population exceeding 100, ...

and his contributions are reported in the formation of

Sashastra Seema Bal Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB; ) is a border guarding force of India deployed along its borders with Nepal and Bhutan. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The f ...

, a paramilitary force established following the 1962 war. Khathing became the Chief Secretary of

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the ...

in 1967. It was during his tenure, the Nagaland Armed Police and

Naga Regiment The Naga Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It is among the youngest regiments of the Indian Army - the first battalion was raised in Ranikhet, Kumaon in 1970. The regiment recruits mainly from Nagaland, in northeast India. Hi ...

were established. Five years later, he became the first Indian tribal to become an Ambassador when he was selected as the Indian Ambassador to Burma, in 1972. He worked in Burma for three years and retired from service in 1975. Though the post of a State Governor was offered to him, he declined it but served as the Advisor to the Governor of Manipur, as the chairman, Tribal Law Commission and Administrative Reforms Commission and the Chairman of the Administrative Commission,

. He also served as a member of the committee to finalise the 16-point agreement that led to the

Shillong Accord of 1975 The Shillong Accord of 1975 was an agreement signed between the Government of India, also referred to as the Federal government, or Union government, or Central government of India, and Nagaland's underground government, also referred to as the ...

and the formation of the state of

. Ralengnao Khathing died at his home at Valley View, Mantripukhri,

, on 12 January 1990. He had four children, two sons, John Somi R Khathing and Darlando Thanmi Khathing, and two daughters, Leballa Khathing Gupta and Sela N Khathing. John Khathing is a former chief commissioner of Customs and Central Excise and Darlando is the vice-chancellor of the

Central University of Jharkhand The Central University of Jharkhand (CUJ) is a central university located in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. It was established in 2009. History CUJ was established in 2009 under the first schedule of the ''Central Universities Act, 2009''. The fi ...

. The eldest daughter, Leballa serves as the secretary of the All India Kitchen Garden Association while the younger daughter, Sela, is a professor and Head of the Department of English at Lady Keane College,

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a p ...

Awards and recognitions

Khating was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

by the British Empire for his services to the British Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Later, the Queen of the United Kingdom honoured him with the title of

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE). The

awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of

in 1957, the first person from the state of

to receive the award. He was also a two time recipient of the Gallantry Certificate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

Award gallery

File:Military Cross.jpg, Military Cross File:Mbe_medal_front_and_reverse.jpg, Order of the British Empire File:Padma Shri India IIIe Klasse.jpg, Padma Shri

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khathing, Ralengnao Recipients of the Padma Shri in public affairs People from Ukhrul district Naga people Manipur politicians 1912 births 1990 deaths Indian civil servants Indian Army personnel Recipients of the Military Cross Officers of the Order of the British Empire

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

Biography

Awards and recognitions

Award gallery

See also

References