Rameshwar Nath Kao: The Man Who Built RAW And Changed India’s Intelligence Game Forever

In a country where political power is loud and public, the real victories have often been quiet. Some of them were planned in rooms without nameplates, decided in hushed conversations, and executed by

men who never sought applause. At the centre of this unseen world stood Rameshwar Nath Kao, the spymaster who reshaped how India looked at security, strategy and survival. Known simply as Ramji to those who worked closely with him, he was a man who believed that intelligence was not about bravado but about preparation, patience and precision. Long before spy thrillers became fashionable, Kao was already writing India’s real intelligence playbook, line by line, operation by operation.

A childhood shaped by discipline and books

Rameshwar Nath Kao was born on 10 May 1918 in Banaras, now Varanasi, into a Kashmiri Pandit family that had migrated from Srinagar. He lost his parents early and was raised by his uncle Pandit Trilokinath Kao, a figure who instilled in him a deep respect for education and restraint. His schooling took place in Baroda, followed by higher studies at Lucknow University, where he completed his graduation. He later earned a master’s degree in English Literature from Allahabad University, a detail that often surprises those who imagine spies as men of weapons rather than words.

Friends from those years remembered him as soft-spoken, impeccably dressed and quietly observant. He listened more than he spoke, a habit that would later define his intelligence career.

From the Indian Imperial Police to the shadows

Kao joined the Indian Imperial Police in 1940 after clearing the civil services examination. His first posting was in Kanpur as an Assistant Superintendent of Police. Even then, seniors noticed his ability to read situations rather than react to them. On the eve of Independence, he was deputed to the Intelligence Bureau when the organisation was being reshaped under B. N. Mullick. One of his earliest sensitive assignments was handling VIP security, which included overseeing the personal security of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The trust built during those years never faded. In the late 1950s, Kao was sent to Ghana to assist the government of Kwame Nkrumah in setting up its intelligence and security apparatus, a rare international assignment for an Indian officer at the time.

The Kashmir Princess investigation that earned global respect

In 1955, Air India’s Kashmir Princess aircraft exploded midair while carrying delegates to the Bandung Conference. The target was believed to be Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, who had changed his travel plans at the last moment. Kao worked closely with British and Chinese investigators to piece together the sabotage. His meticulous approach impressed Zhou Enlai so deeply that Kao received a personal letter of appreciation from the Chinese leader, a rare honour in the opaque world of intelligence.

Why India needed a new intelligence agency

The shocks of the 1962 war with China and the 1965 conflict with Pakistan exposed critical gaps in India’s intelligence framework. The Intelligence Bureau was stretched thin, focused largely on internal security, and weighed down by bureaucracy. Foreign intelligence had become a strategic necessity rather than a luxury.

In 1968, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took a decisive call to create a separate external intelligence agency. She turned to the one man she trusted implicitly. Kao was appointed the first chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, later known simply as RAW, with the rank of Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat.

Building RAW from scratch

There was no template when Kao took charge. RAW did not even have a proper office in its early days. What it had was a clear philosophy. Kao wanted an organisation that was professional, discreet and insulated from political noise. Recruitment was selective. Training was rigorous. Loyalty was earned through competence rather than fear. He also set up specialised units such as the Aviation Research Centre and strengthened the Joint Intelligence Committee, ensuring that technical intelligence and human intelligence worked in tandem. Those who served under him during this period were affectionately known as the Kaoboys, a testament to the loyalty he inspired.

The 1971 war and the birth of Bangladesh

RAW’s defining moment came during the events leading up to the 1971 war and the creation of Bangladesh. As tensions escalated in East Pakistan, Kao worked in close coordination with Indira Gandhi and military leadership to plan a two-phase strategy. The first phase involved covert support to the Mukti Bahini, training and equipping freedom fighters across the border. The second phase was full-scale military intervention. Intelligence inputs were so precise that Indian forces could neutralise strategic targets with minimal collateral damage. Naval commandos crippled Pakistani ships in Chittagong harbour, while the Indian Air Force carried out pinpoint strikes. The speed and decisiveness of the victory stunned the world. Within three years of its formation, RAW had played a central role in the creation of a new nation.

Sikkim and quiet diplomacy

In 1975, India formally integrated Sikkim as its 22nd state. Behind the scenes, RAW under Kao carefully assessed regional and international interests, particularly the risk of Chinese influence. Through intelligence driven diplomacy and political foresight, the merger was achieved without bloodshed, a rare outcome in a geopolitically sensitive region.

A man respected across borders

Kao cultivated working relationships with global intelligence agencies, including the CIA, KGB, Mossad and MI6. Despite India’s nonaligned stance, RAW earned respect as a serious and reliable intelligence partner. Count Alexandre de Marenches, the former head of French intelligence, famously named Kao among the five greatest intelligence chiefs of the 1970s, praising both his elegance of mind and operational brilliance.

Exit after the Emergency and a return without noise

After the Emergency and the fall of Indira Gandhi’s government in 1977, Kao resigned quietly when the Janata Party came to power. Though his closeness to Indira Gandhi raised suspicions, a detailed inquiry cleared both him and RAW of any wrongdoing. He returned to government service when Indira Gandhi was re elected in 1980 and later served as security adviser to Rajiv Gandhi. During the 1980s, he also played a key role in conceptualising the National Security Guard to counter terrorism within India, especially during the Punjab militancy.

A private life guarded as closely as secrets

Despite shaping some of India’s most decisive moments, Kao remained intensely private. He avoided interviews, never wrote a memoir, and stayed away from public life. He lived quietly in New Delhi with his wife, Malini Kao, whom he had been married to for sixty years, and their daughter, Achala Kaul. He passed away on 20 January 2002 at the age of 84.

A legacy that still shapes India’s intelligence

Today, RAW directors continue to hold the post of Secretary Research, a structure Kao himself put in place. The annual R. N. Kao Memorial Lecture, instituted by RAW, honours his contribution. The first lecture in 2006 was delivered by Shashi Tharoor, a fitting tribute to a man who believed that intellect was as powerful as force. Rameshwar Nath Kao proved that intelligence is not about spectacle but about foresight. He built institutions, trusted talent and understood the long game. In doing so, he ensured that India would never again walk blindly into a crisis.