# Malay Kumar Lahiri

Lieutenant General Malay Kumar Lahiri, PVSM (also Moloy Lahiri and fondly called Mike Lahiri in Army circles; 20 September 1934 – 16 February 1996) was an Indian Army General Officer and former Indian association football player. He was part of the Indian teams that competed in the Asia Cup, 1959 Merdeka Tournament, 1959 pre Olympic tournament, and 1960 Summer Olympics.

## Childhood and early life

Malay Lahiri was born in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh), the fourth child of Ashwini Kumar Lahiri and Narmada Lahiri. Ashwini Lahiri was the Principal of Ananda Mohan College, Mymensingh and stayed on after partition before moving to Calcutta, West Bengal after his children had already moved. Malay Lahiri's early schooling was in Mymensingh after which he followed his elder brother to Calcutta. His immediate elder sibling was in the NDA and Malay followed him there and became a Gentleman Cadet in what was then called the Joint Services Wing. Incidentally, his youngest brother became a doctor and joined the Army Medical Corps (AMC) and retired as a Lieutenant General also, as Director General Armed Forces Medical Services, with both brothers being serving Lieutenant Generals at the same time.

## Army career

Lahiri was an officer in the Indian Army and played for Gorkha Brigade and Services in the Durand Tournament and Santosh Trophy.
He was commissioned to the Third Battalion of the 3 Gorkha Rifles on 4 December 1954 and was awarded the Silver Medal. The Gold Medal in his Course was awarded to GC Bipin Chandra Joshi, later Chief of Army Staff. This 14th Course was a very distinguished one with a lot of officers going on to the rank of Lieutenant General.
After the Sino-Indian War of 1962, he was selected to go to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to undergo training and then graduated from the US Army Special Warfare School. After successfully completing the Course in Psychological Operations, Counter Insurgency and Special Forces Operations, he came back to India to design and set-up the Commando Wing for the Indian Army at Infantry School, Mhow which was then relocated to Belgaum.
His major assignments in his 38-year career in the Indian Army were:
* Commissioned into 3/3 Gorkha Rifles
* Underwent training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
* Commanding Officer of 4/3 Gorkha Rifles
* Commander, 25 Infantry Brigade
* National Defence College
* Defence Advisor, High Commission of India, Bangladesh
* General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Mountain Division
* Commandant Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School
* Director General Assam Rifles
* General Officer Commanding (GOC) IV Corps
* Director General National Cadet Corps
He was also the President, Gorkha Brigade of the Indian Army and Colonel of the Regiment of 3rd Gorkha Rifles. He was awarded the highest peacetime military award the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) by the President of India in the Republic Day honours of 1992. He retired from Service on 30 September 1992, and died from cancer in New Delhi, on 16 February 1996, at the age of 61.

## Notable achievements and awards

* Silver Medal of the XIVth Course Indian Military Academy
* Durand Cup runner-up: 1953 representing NDA
* Durand Cup runner-up: 1958 representing Gorkha Brigade
* Asia Cup in Ernakulum representing India
* Merdeka Tournament runner-up: 1959
* Pre-Olympic tournament in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1959 representing India
* Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 1992 for distinguished service in the Indian Army

## Dates of rank

| Rank | Date of Rank |
| 2nd Lieutenant | December 04, 1954 |
| Lieutenant | |
| Captain | |
| Major | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | |
| Brigadier | |
| Major General | |
| Lieutenant General | |

## Post retirement

Post his retirement, Mike Lahiri did not wish to take up any assignment. However, he accepted the offer of becoming a member of the monitoring committee overseeing preparations for the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, in addition to other international games till the Atlanta Olympics. During this assignment he was diagnosed with cancer and died a short while later on February 16, 1996.