“My mission is to groom professionally competent Corporate Officers, who can respond to each and every business crises in the Army way.” – Maj Gen V S Ranade.

In this digitally synchronized world, information, inspiration, and even dissemination in some way or the other is driven by the social media. Let that be the political beliefs of million-backed leaders or for that the military professional’s strategic, well-calculated, curious, and disciplined approach, digital culture intervenes in the process.

We are in the digital era, where everything surrounding us is telling a story in an asynchronous manner – to be informed, be aware, and get influenced. In the midst of this consumption of dilemmatic content, there is a dire need to be well-disciplined and motivated.

These two personality traits—being disciplined and motivated—are the founding stone for any business code of conduct. As the late American entrepreneur Jim Rohn proudly once said, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

And one of the finest people to learn instil the qualities like discipline and motivation are the military personnel. Understanding the depth and importance of order and command can only be understood by a disciplined mind, which further teaches us the value of self-control. Maj Gen V S Ranade, the Director of the Army Institute of Management, is one such disciplined, strategic, and composed mind of the country, who is on a mission to share his learning with the next generation of Corporate Leaders and instil value-based discipline among them. He is on a mission to groom Corporate Officers who can respond to business crises, the same way Army Officers will do in a strategic situation.

Maj Gen V S Ranade (Retd.) has served the Indian Army for 36 long years in different strategic positions and hierarchies. With his invaluable learning gathered while serving the nation, he decided to dedicate his life to the noble cause of grooming young aspiring minds and instilling the values of discipline among these corporate leaders who will lead the corporate world in the near future.

We crossed paths with Maj Gen V S Ranade on our latest venture of finding The Most Trusted Institutes of India – 2023. While sharing the unique educational intricacies and pedagogies of the magnificent institute of management, he also shared his life’s journey from being a soldier to one of the most influential educators in the country.

So, let’s dive deep into the indulging story of Maj Gen V S Ranade –Instilling disciplinary values among corporate leaders.

The Learner’s Arc

“Your daily habits have the power to change your life.”

“It is not the overnight success that shines but the slow grind and daily practice that addresses the history books.” And such has been the story of Maj Gen V S Ranade. Being a confident student, he always had a learner’s attitude toward academics and understood the importance of a good education.

Being a bright academic student with a clear vision of serving the nation, Maj Gen V S Ranade successfully completed his academic formal education arc, by completing his Bachelor of Arts from the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.

He graduated from the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun and joined the Indian Army. He is a graduate of the Long Gunnery Staff Course, Devlali, and is a qualified Instructor of Gunnery. Despite having achieved a prominent proficiency in the Armed Forces, his learner’s attitude took him to attend the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, where he earned a master’s degree in Defence and Strategic Studies.

Moving ahead and adding more laurels under his belts, he graduated in a higher Command Course and earned a Master of Philosophy in Defence Management from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya and a Master of Philosophy in Public Administration from the Indian Institute of Public Administration.

In retrospective to his learning from days of service to the country, Maj Gen V S Ranade shares, “During my service, I was exposed to the International Strategic environment, Counter-Terrorist Operations, aspects of Security Audit, Security Management, managing teams at senior levels and human resource management. The critical one was understanding the political and policy issues at the grass-root level to the strategic and international levels.”

Building a Dream Profile!

Building such an academically inclined profile over the years, he was also recognized for his dedication, passion, and contribution toward serving the nation. He was awarded the Chief of Army Staff’s Commendation Card, in 2013. Apart from that, in 2019 and 2022, he was awarded Director General National Security Guard Commendation Card and Disc, justifying his credibility for gracefully serving the nation.

A Journey Worthy of the Character!

Over the long career of 36 years, Maj Gen V S Ranade served in various positions, marking the high point in his journey as the Inspector General Operations for the National Security Guards. Talking about his journey with NSG, Maj Gen V S Ranade says, “I had extensive interactions with International special forces of the US, UK, Israel, Canada, and a host of other nations on the International Security and Threat matrix.”

With the NSG, he handled the federal contingency force operations and was also a member of the Counter-Terrorist Operation and Anti-Hijack Coordination Committees for the Government of India. Overviewing his tasks with the Govt. of India, he further adds, “I’ve also been a part of the heads who executed and conducted National level Exercise involving multi-task forces in multiple terrorist strike scenarios with various essential services required to mitigate the threat.”

He was the Military Observer (MO) at the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). Describing his further journey with the UN, Maj Gen V S Ranade shares, “I later undertook the Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) process to overlook various aspects of the DDR process in coordination with UN officials.”

Later moving to the Administration and HR Management for the Govt of India, he commanded about 15000 army personnel, comprising battalions of varied core competencies, which often included a pack of fighting troops, engineers, communications unit, and logistical support units.

Highlighting some of the verticals handled by Maj Gen V S Ranade’s role while leading troops, he shares, “We were responsible for anticipating, forecasting and provisioning of logistical requirements in difficult terrain. We planned and executed a cogent and smooth logistical supply chain integrating various means of transportation. We also initiated welfare projects for the troops and their families improving quality of life.”

A Story of its Own Character for the Young Generation to Tell!

In a long career that lasted more than three and a half decades, Maj Gen V S Ranade also was part of two counter-insurgency forces – the Assam Rifles and Rashtriya Rifles in India. Foreshadowing his role with these two insurgency forces, Maj Gen V S Ranade says, “I have served with both the counter Insurgency forces, Assam Rifles, and Rashtriya Rifles, in India. Handled all the operational aspects in intense counter-insurgency areas in Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur and was exposed to conflict resolution and conflict termination aspects.”

“Regular interactions with police, state government officials, and intelligence agencies in the conduct of coordinated counter-terrorist operations, safe movement of vehicle convoys and the local population was something we were responsible for, and other than that, I rendered military advice as required to facilitate strategic handling of complex politico-military issues in a counter-terrorist environment.”

“And I was a part of Operation Meghdoot (Siachen Glacier 1987), Operation Vijay, Operation Hifazat, and Operation Rakshak,” he further shares with a smile.

What Goes Around Comes Around – Completing the Learner’s Arc

Being an integral part of the bureaucratic system while serving the nation in the most gracious way, the sitting ideal was not a part of the deal for Maj Gen V S Ranade. As a lifelong learner and student who understood the importance of education for a rising and healthy society, he decided to take up the role of Director at the Army Institute of Management.

After leading a disciplined life for three and a half decades in the Army way, he believed that lessons learned from the self-motivated career could be instilled among the next generation of aspiring business leaders. He realized his professional capabilities in operational management, operational logistics, HR, e-governance, administration, training, etc., can be effectively used and implemented for the betterment of the young generation and building a pool of disciplined corporate leaders for business transactions.

Not only this, Maj Gen V S Ranade decided to pen down his experiences of his tenure in North East India. He is the author of about eight articles on various facets of North Eastern States and the insurgency challenges. He is of the strong opinion that it’s about time we integrate the Northeast with the mainstream of the country. His articles have been published in the country’s leading strategic think tanks like IDSA/ CLAWS & USI.

Talking about his role as the Director of the institute, Maj Gen V S Ranade says, “Imbibing discipline among digitally driven generation is a challenge because the idea of structured system and processes, itself creates a conflict in their minds and de-motivates them. As a director of the institute, I have a responsibility to strike a balance between academic delivery, building water-tight processes, and engaging the students to adapt to the environment diligently. Thus, helping them grow as disciplined and motivated Corporate Officers.”