Vas is survived by his wife, Maureen, son Eric Junior and daughter, Asha. Vas was cremated as per his wish with full military honours at the crematorium in Golibar Maidan on Tuesday.
Born on May 15, 1923 in Karachi, Pakistan, Vas moved to India during the partition. He had served as the Commandant, College of Combat during its inception and was the founder of the Army's Higher Command Force.
During his long career in the Indian armed forces, Vas served the country as a Brigadier General Staff, Southern Command; the Commanding officer 1st Battalion 9th Gorkha Rifles; General Officer Commanding, 12 Infantry division and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Army (Kolkata).
Vas was active even after his retirement and had even founded the Indian Initiative for Peace Arms Control and Disarmament (INPAD) in Pune.
He had a gift of pen and wrote several articles on national security and international affairs in various magazines and national newspapers. He has four published books to his credit, including the Terrorism and Insurgency: a challenge of Modernisation'.
"He was well-known as a thinking general and liked by all. As a person who more or less instituted the College of Combat of the Army in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, he encouraged officers to question dogmas and doctrines instead of following them blindly," said Col Anil Athale (retd).
Maj Gen S C N Jatar (retd) called Vas a person of strong convictions, who was not afraid to stand by them. "I have known him for over five decades and even served under him in Punjab in 1974-75. His conviction and his straight forward attitude set him apart from his peers," said Jatar.
Vas was also one of the life members of a citizens' activist group the Nagrik Chetna Manch that was founded by Jatar. Air Chief Marshal H Moolgaonkar (retd) said, "I have known him for a long time. An educated person, he formed the Group of 12' which now has 18 members who meet every month and organise discussions on various subjects. He was a gallant officer.
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