Atma Jayaram
Atma Jayaram | |
|---|---|
| Atma Jayaram, former Director of Intelligence | |
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Pembroke College, University of Cambridge[1] Ceylon University College Trinity College, Kandy[2] |
| Occupation | Spymaster |
| Spouse | Sushila Jayaram |
| Children | Athmaram Katakam and Asoka Katakam |
| Parent | Dr. T.K. Jayaram |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance |  British India (till 1947)  India (after 1947) |
| Service branch | Indian Police Service Intelligence Bureau |
| Rank | Director of the Intelligence Bureau |
| Operations | Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 Emergency, 1975 |
Atma Jayaram (31 August 1915 - 19 March 1990) was the Director of the Indian Intelligence Bureau between November 1971 to August 1975[3]. His tenure was during one of the most turbulent political periods of modern India[4]. He served under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Early Life
Born in Colombo to Dr. T.Katakam Jayaram(1881-1940), young Atma had a privileged upbringing. Dr. Jayaram was one of the few licensed medical practitioners of the time and was fairly wealthy, however he began life from a poor family. He was married at the end of the 19th century, and his wife passed away shortly after giving birth to a daughter. His subsequent marriage in 1912-1913 brought him two sons and a daughter, Atma being the younger of the two brothers.
Atma's younger sister and mother passed away before the age of five. Atma and his brother Dayaram were educated at some of Ceylon's (Sri Lanka) most well known institutions.
Atma Jayaram studied at Trinity College, Kandy[5], graduating in 1932. He pursued a degree in science at the Ceylon University College and graduated in 1935. Upon finishing his academics, he received admission into the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge studying physics in 1936. During his three year Tripos, he attended Pembroke College. He studied under Lord Ernest Rutherford, the Nobel Prize Laureate who had gained acclaim for splitting the atom. After graduating in 1939, he returned to Colombo.
Career
Indian Police Service
After returning to Sri Lanka, Jayaram attempted the civil services exam, however due to his Indian origins, was not allowed to work for the civil service. Following this, he joined the Imperial Police in India, then under British rule.
His first posting was in Tenali in the Madras Presidency, modern day Andhra Pradesh in 1940. Over the next few years he was posted throughout the presidency before being called to join the Intelligence Bureau in 1946 under Sir N.P. Smith and T.G. Sanjeevi Pillai. Pillai was to become the first Indian to head the Intelligence Bureau. [6]
Intelligence Bureau
Jayaram served with the IB during the 1950s and early 1960s. He was posted in Cairo and Beijing and was known to be on an acquaintance of Kim Philby, one of the members of the infamous Cambridge Five. In Cairo, the journalist David Holden would often call on him and his wife. In 1962, he returned to India to work at headquarters. He worked in the IB as a Joint Director till 1968.
In 1968, Jayaram was appointed Inspector General of Andhra Pradesh, the official head of police in the state[7]. He served till 1971 when Indira Gandhi on the recommendation of RAW Chief R. N. Kao was made the Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
Director of the Intelligence Bureau
Soon after becoming director, the 1971 War broke out. Kao and Jayaram were extremely close friends and both ensured that their respective agencies worked together during the course of the Bangladeshi liberation.
Jayaram served as the director during the breakout of the Indian Emergency, but retired on August 31, 1975 after his 60th birthday. Director General of Punjab, S.N. Mathur took over as director.[8]
Anecdotes
According to his son, Athmaram Katakam, he was the quintessential Cambridge man.
A.S Dulat, former director of RAW[9] called him “A gentleman’s gentleman”.
Like Kao[10], Jayaram was known to have an extremely sharp mind and was considered a no nonsense intelligence chief. Dulat commented that during an intelligence meeting, an officer had made a mistake. Jayaram addressed everybody with a quick remark, “Gentleman, a cat has nine lives, an intelligence officer has one,” reiterating the fact that the IB could not afford to make mistakes.
Surendra Pathania, former Director General of Maharashtra,[11] commented that Jayaram had a great sense of style. Pathania, a junior officer at the time, called on Jayaram at 9, Tuglak Road(the Director's official residence) and was surprised to see him in dark pink trousers. "He was effortlessly stylish and junior officers like us were always welcomed into his house."
References
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembroke_College,_Cambridge#Notable_alumni_of_Pembroke_College
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Trinity_College,_Kandy_alumni
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://www.bprd.nic.in/writereaddata/mainlinkFile/File1052.pdf
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradesh_Police
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ http://www.mahapolice.gov.in/mahapolice/jsp/temp/html/DGPI.pdf