Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

A Sherwoodian and a Stephanian, Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM & BAR (Retd) is proud of his educational background as he is of his parentage and his Regiment. A second generation soldier whose father was also a General Officer of the Indian Army, the Hasnain family is fiercely loyal to its Regiment - The Garhwal Rifles. One of Indian Army's highest decorated General Officers, he was awarded honours for command of troops in every command assignment. The Hasnain family has 10 decorations to its credit, the maximum in any military family with the PVSM being awarded both to father and son, one of the rare achievements. The General has exposure to diverse military situations through service in Operation PAWAN (IPKF in Sri Lanka), Operation MEGHDOOT (Siachen Glacier), Eastern Ladakh, Punjab insurgency, Line of Control (J&K) and the North East. Even abroad he was a witness to the horrific situation in the near genocide in Rwanda(Central Africa) as part of United Nations Forces. The crowning glory was his command of 21 Corps (Strike) and 15 Corps (J&K), ending his career as the Military Secretary of the Indian Army where he introduced his famous HR mantra - 'Play Friend Not God'. Now associated with two major Delhi based think tanks Vivekanand International Foundation and Delhi Policy Group, the General brings his musings to the public synthesizing his military experience and strategic outlook to express ideas on a range of issues. He speaks frequently at corporate conferences, international institutions such as the Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the training establishments of the three Services, besides the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration, Mussorie, National Academy of Customs Excise & Narcotics, Faridabad.