B. Raman

Career

B.Raman was born in Tamil Nadu and studied at the prestigious Loyola college in Chennai. He followed it up with a course in Journalism. Later he worked as a Journalist with the Indian Express in Chennai for 4 years. Later he cleared the civil services exam and was inducted as an IPS officer. Raman was an IPS officer of the 1961 batch who served for a time in the Madhya Pradesh cadre before deputation to the Intelligence Bureau in New Delhi. There, he was soon noticed by India's spymaster, R.N. Kao, who took him to the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) when it was formed in 1968. From very early on in his career, Raman displayed an unwavering commitment to his work. This, along with his vast knowledge and the ability to recall details of events even after the passage of decades made him a near ideal intelligence officer. These rare qualities prompted Kao and many of his successors to entrust Raman with some of the very sensitive tasks that the R&AW undertook.

It is said that on the suggestion of R.N. Kao, Raman was posted by R&AW in Paris under the guise of an Indian correspondent working for The Hindu. There he is credited for having established a back channel with Ayotollah Khamenei and the leadership of the Islamic revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1978. He did so, using the assistance of an Iranian student in Paris whose life he had once saved. Having been one of the few surviving officers who were a witness to the creation of R&AW during 1968 by R.N. Kao, his analysis on Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma and China have been an asset to the intelligence community. Raman was the author of a memoir he wrote of his days in the R&AW titled Kaoboys of R&AW - Down Memory Lane.

Life and death

Raman was a bachelor. He lived alone since 1963 with a domestic assistant, except for a few years spent taking care of his aged mother, Alamelu Ammal.

Raman died in Chennai on 16 June 2013 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 77. He is survived by his elder brother, Bahukutumbi Srinivasa Raghavan and two elder sisters, B. Shakuntala and Prof. B. Rajalakshmi, as well as Shakuntala's daughters, Prof. Rama G. and Dr. Mira G.

Publications

• Raman, B. (2002). Intelligence: Past, Present & Future. Lancer Publishers.
• Raman, B (2002). A Terrorist State as a Frontline Ally. Lancer Publishers & Distributors.
• Raman, B (2007). The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane. Casemate Pub & Book Dist Llc.

References

References

1. B Raman. "About Me".
2. "Mr. B. Raman Passes Away".
3. [http://www.intelligencesummit.org/speakers/BahukutumbiRaman.php Bahukutumbi Raman]. The Intelligence Summit
4. [http://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/b-raman-one-of-raw-founders-passes-away/ B Raman, one of RAW founders, passes away], The Indian Express, 17 June 2013.
5. "Remembering a perfect spy". thehindu.com.
6. "Living with Cancer". theopenmagazine.com.
7. "Bahukutumbi Raman, One of the Founders of RAW, Died at 77". Jagranjosh.com.