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{{Short description|Indian Army Colonel (1959–2018)}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Colonel]]
| name = M B Ravindranath
| honorific_suffix = [[Vir Chakra|VrC]]
| image = Magod Basappa Ravindranath 01.jpg
| image_size = 250 px
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name =
| other_name =
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| birth_date = 15 May 1959<ref>{{cite web |title=Col Magod Bassappa Ravindranath, VrC - Bio |url=http://twdi.in/node/3121 |website=The War Decorated India & Trust |publisher=TDWI |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Davanagere district|Kunduru, Honnali Tauk, Davanagere district, Karnataka]], India<ref name=virchakra />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|04|08|1959|05|15}}
| death_place = [[Jayanagar, Bangalore]], Karnataka, India
| allegiance = India
| branch = [[Indian Army]]
| serviceyears = 1980 - 2001
| serviceyears_label =
| rank = [[File:Colonel of the Indian Army.svg|24px]] [[Colonel]]
| rank_label =
| servicenumber = IC-38662<ref name="virchakra">{{cite web|title=Col Magod Basappa Ravindranath - Vir Chakra|url=http://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/magod-basappa-ravindranath|website=gallantryawards.gov.in|access-date=11 April 2018}}</ref>
| unit = 17 [[Madras Regiment]], 21 [[Rajputana Rifles]], 2 [[Rajputana Rifles]]
| battles_label =
| battles = {{plainlist|[[Kargil War]]}}
| awards = {{plainlist|[[File:Vir Chakra ribbon bar.svg|20px]][[Vir Chakra]]}}
| memorials =
| spouse = Anitha<ref name=personal/>
| relations = {{plainlist|
* Magod Basappa (father)
* Sarojamma Basappa (mother)
}}<ref name=personal>{{cite web|last1=Vijaya Kumar|first1=D.|title=Sainik School Bijapur note|url=http://ssbjcolmbravindranathvrc.blogspot.com/|date=1 Jul 1999}}</ref>
| children = {{plainlist|
* Prarthana (daughter)
* Prerna (daughter)
}}<ref name=family />
| laterwork =
| signature =
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}}

[[Colonel]] '''Magod Basappa Ravindranath''' [[Vir Chakra|VrC]] was an [[Indian Army]] officer. He was awarded the [[Vir Chakra]] for his actions in the [[Battle of Tololing]] during [[Kargil War]] in 1999. He was commanding the [[Indian Army]]'s [[Rajputana Rifles|2 Rajputana Rifles]] battalion that successfully captured the strategic heights of Tololing, Point 4590 and Black Rock in the Drass sector that dominated the [[Srinagar]] - [[Leh]] Highway ([[National Highway 1D (India)|NH 1D]]), the first major victory that changed the course of the [[Kargil War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19990705-tololing-peak-the-battle-that-probably-changed-the-course-of-kargil-war-824608-1999-07-05|title=Tololing peak: The battle that probably changed the course of Kargil war|date=July 5, 1999|publisher=IndiaToday.in}}</ref>

==Early life==
Ravindranath was born to Sarojamma and Magod Basappa in 1959 in Kunduru in [[Honnali]] Taluk, [[Davangere district]], [[Karnataka]], India. His father was a school teacher. He completed his school education at Sainik School, [[Vijayapura]].

==Military career==
Ravindranath attended the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]] from 1976 to 1979, and then passed out from the [[Indian Military Academy]] in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/kargil-war-hero-dies-on-way-to-jog/articleshow/63672078.cms|title=Kargil war hero dies on way to jog - Times of India|website=[[The Times of India]]|publisher=}}</ref> He was commissioned into the 17 MADRAS REGIMENT. He was moved to 21 RAJRIF in Feb 1985. He later commanded 2 RAJPUTANA RIFLES during Kargil Operations. He was first posted to [[Arunachal Pradesh]], and was then posted as an instructor at the military training school in [[Mhow]]. He spent five years in Mhow before being posted to a unit on counter-insurgency operations in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] (J&K), where he served in 1986–87. Ravindranath served again in J&K in 1989–90, 1994–96 and finally in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kargil-hero-passes-away-b-luru-rajeev-chandresekhar-appeals-cm-state-funeral-79252|title=Kargil hero passes away in B'luru, Rajeev Chandresekhar appeals to CM for state funeral|date=9 April 2018|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.honourpoint.in/profile/col-magod-basappa-ravindranath-vrc/|title=Col Magod Basappa Ravindranath VrC - Honourpoint|publisher=}}</ref>

===Kargil War===
During the [[Kargil War]], Ravindranath was the commanding officer of the 2nd battalion, Rajputana Rifles (2 RAJ RIF). 2 RAJ RIF was tasked with capturing the strategic heights of [[Battle of Tololing|Tololing]], Point 4590 and Black Rock in the [[Dras]] sector. According to his citation, Ravindranath personally led his battalion's reconnaissance teams under enemy artillery and small arms fire.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/mogod-basappa-ravindranath |title=MOGOD BASAPPA RAVINDRANATH {{!}} Gallantry Awards |website=gallantryawards.gov.in |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809154335/http://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/mogod-basappa-ravindranath |archive-date=2018-08-09}} </ref>

On June 12, 1999, during the assault on Tololing, 2 RAJ RIF troops were under constant enemy artillery and heavy automatic fire. Realising the gravity of the situation, Ravindranath reached the spot and quickly restored the situation by his personal influence, which ultimately led to the beating back of enemy counterattacks, the capture of Tololing and the consolidation of the Indian Army's hold on Tololing and Point 4590.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Amarinder |title=A Ridge Too Far: War in the Kargil Heights 1999 |date=1999 |publisher=Motibagh Palace |location=Delhi |isbn=9788193107416 |page=172 |edition=2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=C Sawant |first1=Gaurav |title=Dateline Kargil: A Correspondent's Nine-week Account from the Battlefront |date=2000 |publisher=Macmillan India |isbn=978-0333934081 |page=25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Vir Chakra (VrC) Awardee: Col Magod Bassappa Ravindranath, VrC |url=http://twdi.in/node/4442 |website=The War Decorated India & Trust |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref>

On the night of June 28, 2 RAJ RIF began its assault on Black Rock. During the attack, the assaulting company lost both its [[officer commanding]] and its second-in-command. Ravindranath then personally assumed command of the company and led the assault, eventually capturing Black Rock.<ref>{{cite news |title=Officer who won back Tololing passes away |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/officer-who-won-back-tololing-passes-away/571024.html |publisher=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)]] |date=9 Apr 2018}}</ref>

For his actions during the war, Ravindranath was awarded the [[Vir Chakra]] on August 15, 1999.

==Later life==
Ravindranath retired from the army in 2001 after the Kargil War. He lived in [[Bangalore]] and was on the board of directors for a number of self-owned ventures including Magod Fusion Technologies, Magod Laser Machining, Preusse India, and Tycoon Software Technologies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ministry of Corporate Affairs - Directorship info|url=https://www.zaubacorp.com/director/MAGOD-BASAPPA-RAVINDRANATH/00419395|website=zaubacorp.com|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref>

==Death==
Ravindranath died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on April 8, 2018, in a neighborhood park at [[Bengaluru]] at the age of 59 while jogging. He and his wife Anitha had two daughters, Prerna and Prarthana.<ref name="family">{{cite news|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/669818/kargil-war-hero-big-motivator.html|title=Kargil war hero was big motivator|last1=Sarmmah|first1=Surupasree|date=11 April 2018|work=[[Deccan Herald]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravindranath, Magod Basappa}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Vir Chakra]]
[[Category:People of the Kargil War]]
[[Category:Indian Army officers]]

Magod Basappa Ravindranath - Revision history

Bot at 20:00, 18 April 2022