K. Sankaran Nair Biography 
K. Sankaran Nair was an Indian civil servant who served as the director of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). He was fondly called Colonel Menon. He was also a famous diplomat who served as the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore from 1986 to 1988. He was the last member of the Indian Imperial Police. Shankaran Nair is credited with the success of the 1971 Bangladesh war. Under his leadership, RAW helped find the guerrilla fighters troupe Mukti Bahini and train them. He also played a crucial role in restructuring RAW in 1980 after Indira Gandhi returned to power. Colonel Menon died in sleep on November 17, 2015 in Bangalore aged 95 years. He was survived by his daughter with whom he stayed for last eight years. His wife died two years earlier.
Nair hailed from Ottappalam of Palakkad district, Kerala. He was born on 20 December 1919. He completed his graduation from Loyola College, Chennai. Though he pursued Law, he discontinued studies soon after he was inducted into the Indian Imperial Police. He continued as an intelligence officer after Indian independence. He stayed at Ghana during the period 1959-1961 before he returned back. He submitted 65 reports to the investigation committee during 1965 Indo-Pak war. In 1968 he was inducted into Research and Analysis Wing by its founder Rameshwarnath Kao.
In 1977 he succeeded Rameshwarnath Kao as the chief of RAW. When Morarji Desai took over the power as PM, he downgraded the post of chief of RAW, to director from Secretary. As a form of protest, he resigned three months just after he assumed power. But when Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980, Nair played a crucial role restructuring RAW. He served as the Secretary General of the 1982 Asian Games held at Delhi. He was appointed as India’s High Commissioner to Singapore in 1986 during the rule of Rajiv Gandhi and he served the position till 1988. He published his memoir - Inside IB and RAW: The rolling stone that gathered moss in 2008. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1983.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 26, 2016
