Sir,

My heartfelt salute to Maj. Gen. C.K. Karumbaya, SM, who passed away on Jan. 4 at the age of 87.

We were fortunate to meet and greet him during Dhvanyaloka Intergenerational Monthly Meet which took place over  several years past at Dhvanyaloka, Mysuru.

Besides delivering special lectures on matters of security and defence, Maj. Gen. Karumbaya participated zestfully in discussions when others delivered talks. He described the rugged Himalayan terrains with minutest details and how our soldiers rebuffed the enemies and remained invincible. 

K.B. Ganapathy has drawn our attention to several other organisations to which the Maj. General gave his valuable time (Abracadabra dated Jan.4).

Whenever the Major General became a bit aggressive in putting forth his argument, his wife Dechu Karumbaya would nudge him gently and the Major General would immediately bring the decibel down. It was beautiful to watch the Major General obeying his wife’s command  so dutifully.

It is truly said, ‘A soldier never dies, he simply fades away.’ I salute this extraordinary soldier, who had fought against our enemies in major wars in the twentieth century and also for enlivening our civilian life after his retirement in early 90s.

– Prof. C. Naganna on e-mail, Mysuru, 6.1.2024

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