Shaurya Chakra Army veteran featured among researchers who `changed the world’

NEW DELHI: A retried Indian Army officer, who won the Shaurya Chakra for gallantry beyond the call of duty, has been featured among a handful of researchers by a global academic publisher in a special series that recognizes individuals who `changed the world’.

Col DPK Pillay, who was severely injured in counter insurgency operations in the North East but went on to serve in the Army as well as the National Security Council Secretariat, has been featured in a podcast series supporting by leading academic publisher Taylor & Francis Group.

The featured study of the retired soldier that was selected for the series calls for an “overhaul of food security systems in India, with improved farmer wages, a greater use of technology, and improved management” to counter malnutrition in India. The article by Colonel DPK Pillay on Food Security was published by Routledge for the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) flagship journal Strategic Analysis.


The article highlights current food systems in India and the progress needed to meet the nutrition needs of the masses. The retired officer has argued in the paper that national security should go beyond defending and should “essentially protect people’s security”.

“Attention must be given to ensure that farming continues to be supported in the face of threats like climate change and the failure of the monsoons. The present agricultural production situation may look comfortable, but coupled with a growing population, the situation could get more difficult in the future. Ceaseless efforts are, therefore, required to improve upon the food security in the country,” he has written.

The Taylor & Francis’ podcast series on `How Researchers Changed The World’ incudes his personalized account of an encounter in Manipur following “a burst of AK-47 and a grenade that took a portion of my leg away.”