Lt Gen Ravindra Thodge no more
| Date :11-Jul-2020 |
Staff Reporter :
FRIDAY evening brought a rude shock for the city of Nagpur as Lt Gen (retd) Ravindra Thodge, former Master General Ordnance in the Indian Army and a Consultant to Ministry of Defence, passed away at a city hospital due to complications after second angioplasty. The highly respected figure of Nagpur was not only an illustrious officer but also Chairman of an emerging new-age enterprise Vidarbha Defence Industrial Hub (VDIH). Thodge had complained of chest pain last week. On July 6, he underwent an angioplasty at a private hospital in city. Later, he returned home.
On Thursday night, he spoke to VDIH team members about the investment and future plans of VDIH. On Friday, he was admitted for second angioplasty. Around two hours after the angioplasty, there were complications including bleeding, following which he passed away. As soon as the news spread in the city, several ex-servicemen and their family members rushed to the hospital and residence of Lt Gen Thodge. The funeral procession will start from his residence K-1, 147, Bharat Nagar on Saturday for Ambazari ghat. Lt Gen Thodge leaves behind wife, two sons, daughters-in-law and a large number of relatives to mourn the loss. Lt Gen Thodge was born in the family of landlords in village Apti in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha. He was an alumnus of Sainik School, Satara; National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla; and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
He joined the Indian Army in 1977 in the 1st Gorkha Rifles. He had an illustrious career spanning 40 years. During his career, he commanded a company in Siachen, a unit in ‘Operation Vijay’ during Kargil war, a Brigade on the Line of Control, Kilo Force in Jammu and Kashmir, and a prestigious Corps in the South Western Sector. He won the coveted Gen Lentaigne Medal at the Defence Services Staff College. He had served as a commando instructor. Also, he had a stint in Directorate of Military Operations during ‘Operation Parakram’. He also held appointments in Military Secretary Branch, and had an assignment in the Indian Embassy in Nepal. Lt Gen Ravindra Thodge served as Master General Ordnance, Indian Army.
He was decorated with Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal for commanding a Division in Intense Counter Terrorism Operations in Jammu and Kashmir, for eliminating terrorist leadership in Jammu and Kashmir, and for outstanding contribution to Indo-Nepalese relations respectively. He was decorated with Param Vishisht Seva Medal too. He was one of the strong participants in ‘Make in India’ initiative. He was serving as Consultant to Ministry of Defence. Last year, Lt Gen Thodge was picked by the Supreme Court to serve as the member of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He did his duty with aplomb and helped the Board conduct elections as per the Lodha Committee recommendations.