EP-57 | India’s clandestine forces with Former R&AW Chief Vikram Sood

Vikram Sood, is a former chief of India's external intelligence agency the Research and Analysis Wing and an advisor to the Observer Research Foundation, an independent public policy think tank in New Delhi. Sood’s entry to R&AW was very accidental but he went on to become spymaster in 2000 in his over three-decade-long service. Sood also has the distinction of being the lone chief of R&AW who came from a non- police background. In an in-depth conversation with Smita Prakash, Sood talks about Kargil, Pakistan’s misadventures on the border as well as on mainland through attacks. Sood also reveals Musharraf’s role in Kargil and how they exposed his lies, importance of intelligence system for strategic and security interests of the country. Further, Sood also narrates the story behind Pakistan’s nuclear story and the assassination of former Prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, his relations with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his take on spy movies.
#ANIPodcastWithSmitaPrakash #Podcast #SmitaPrakash #VikramSood
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - The Unending Game & The Ultimate Goal
13:30 - Lahore Bus Yatra, Kargil & History of R&AW
30:43 - Pakistan's nuke hunt, NPT & Morarji Desai
42:30 - Life of A Spy and their handlers
50:43 - Kulbhushan Jadhav & Black Ops
1:06:46 - Indira's Assassination & Operation Bluestar
1:14:48 - IC-814 Hijacking, Vajpayee & Modi in Pak
1:27:54 - Spy Movies
1:35:10 - Media & War
1:48:30 - Advani & need of fresh blood for Intelligence
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[@shreyanmehta6999]

Came to this podcast from TRS with the Sood sir, the difference and depth and knowledge the host has here is way different

[@kauku008]

E

[@SooreshKanhaye]

P​@@kauku008

[@KrishnaTejaKesineni3425]

"No, I haven't," broken my heart. We never forget the fallen souls in foreign lands for the nation.

[@KrishnaTejaKesineni3425]

@@dherrajhari3177 who said? We never forget Ravindra Kaushik...

[@PrasannaSankar87]

I had a lump in my throat hearing that. Brave salute to those souls

[@prasvenkat1]

Totally mesmerised by this interview. Spies are truly unsung heroes. Salute! 🇮🇳🇮🇳 Jai Hind!

[@jamescaffrey7869]

the female reporters always come to the romantic part in this interviews. Such idiots

[@nandkishorroy9711]

😊😊00😊

[@nandkishorroy9711]

😊😊

[@nandkishorroy9711]

😊😊

[@user-xn5dz7hl7h]

Bst - şunu madam special investigation officer in this case 444

[@I...2728]

The problem with Smita is that she asks a question and doesn't let her guest finish the whole answer. It just kills the charm of the podcast. I really hope that ANI team conveys this to her.

[@manmohanr7840]

Its the problem with every podcaster now. They want the limelight.

[@MBhat001]

​​​ Smita it's behaving like she knows everything and tries ti correct the guests. She sounds. Dumb some times

[@Gre3k]

@@manmohanr7840 Its not about the limelight, its about moving towards the direction that the interviewer wants to move into

[@manthamadhuri9617]

Yes..

[@kosimannan6660]

I felt the same

[@d.s.ramnarayan6799]

I was around 10/12 years old when Mr Kao came to our house for dinner sometime between 1958/ 1960. My father was a scientist working for GoI and also working on couple of defence related projects. I had no idea who he was, till my father mentioned him much much later in my life. That day of the dinner, for the 1st time in my life, I saw someone eating curds with sugar. Mr Kao saw the surprise on my face and told me a story, which I remember even today. It was much later, I realised the man I had seen and heard that day was such an important person in GoI.

[@manthamadhuri9617]

Woww sir, ur soooo lucky to meet such a great person.. Pl can u narrate the story too.

[@gunslinger4779]

what was the story?

[@nareshvarma6105]

Sir, aa kathe yeno heli , actually namge intha kathegalu bere yallu kelakke sigalla

[@supersonic89]

Wow awesome

[@anonymousbhartiya9874]

What was the story sir??

[@shravankumargatla1769]

The way he sidelined the question how he got recruited in RAW😎 Legend 🇮🇳

[@13484yashsharma]

Share time stamp!

[@decoseo]

he was selected in Indian postal service in late 60's or early 70's r&aw was new then (est. 68) he got an offer to give exam and join it. That's how he got into. Source- His book

[@surya691]

@@decoseo he said it here only

[@surya691]

He explained it

[@DJ-vg8by]

MANY GOT PICKED UP DURING THE EARLY 70'S, AFTER THEIR ORDINARY GRADUATION, STRAIGHT FROM THEIR PARENTS GOVERNMENT RESIDENCES IN LUTYEN'S DELHI.

[@HealthyConversation123]

My god. I can just keep listening to Vikram Sood forever. Being in such a hostile work environment he is still So calm and composed

[@nikhilparanjape7890]

Only because he is so calm and composed he is here :)

[@TechnoViking__]

@@nikhilparanjape7890he takes valium

[@Hi_yayawar]

Being clam and composite is prerequisite .

[@rajadurairasiah7084]

They went in with no follow up plans.Why? Because Uncle SAM was always there to step in, if and when it was requred.100,000 surrendered in1971 in Dacca -- they were well fed and sent back -- NO deal with Bangla Desh was made over India,s Chicken Neck (land swap) Why ?

[@Hi_yayawar]

@@rajadurairasiah7084 bcoz them PM was a 9th fail meglomaniac who eyed keeping Muslim voters in India in good humour to get their votes. She then after stopped OROP for Army (99%Hindus) and savings were diverted to Haz Subsidy (100% Muslims) in 1973. Before that she propped AIMPLB as thekedar of Ms.

[@arunprakash94]

This is one of the best podcasts ever. The jovial nature of Smita Prakash is the key in getting answers from the secret service agent Mr.Sood. Smita nailed all the right questions, is well read before the interview and is a charm to watch. Kudos to both of them. Jai Hind.

[@footballspiritual9702]

13:28 Lahore bus yatra happened even after getting intelligence input because that single incident changed the western view of the J & K issue. We went for peace, and they came with war. Before 1999, everyone was putting pressure on India to do something about the kashmir issue, and after 1999, no one interfered.

[@santusanturohit4832]

Vajapayi just went to unmask Pakistan infront of sleeping West..

[@this34_]

Much needed war.

[@thomashunter5645]

Smita Prakash, please let the guest finish his thoughts before jumping to the next question. Please don't interrupt him. Thanks for this great interview.

[@rajashreevanur1858]

👌😊

[@thskendjeo134]

Smitha Praksh has no control over it. Do you think that she has any value for the things other than the typical womanly things. It is just an alluring sexual female used by ANI in order to run the programme.

[@arunakumarivanta]

She interrupts a lot

[@tarunkuwar1978]

Seekh jayengi...give her some samay

[@anshul9462]

She has a limitation of time.

[@thedarkknightwillrise23]

Only near perfect depiction of an Intelligence Officer by Bollywood is of Srikant Tiwari, played by Manoj Bajpai. My Uncle was in Intelligence and i came to know about his profession when he took VRS, 4 years prior to his actual retirement age. All this long my father also knew about his profession, but he chose to respect his profession by remaining silent about it and not discussing with any family member! These are our Unsung Heroes 👏🏻❤️

[@keepstudying247]

That movie is also too far from the actual ground reality of an intelligent officer

[@bubusangmy3330]

😊

[@nishant17285]

He is not spy...

[@Bhoetuk]

Under the RAW, theTibetan SFF(Special Frontier Force) Battalion was used and did great job for India. India should not forget this.

[@pritamkumarbaruah3335]

This man is such spot on! His very presence,the refinement, pragmatism and demeanor reflects in parts of his training.. is a pleasure to absorb. Much respect to him.

[@johndoe-vc1we]

_In this business it's better to be known by failures than successes_ Not what most people would think and that is why he's right.

[@ritesh2raj]

Well said brother

[@bibhu4444]

Because he is a spy. He is still dangerous for our rivals..

[@mohd.saleemshaikh5470]

Good job. Done

[@raghuallam7911]

He was in RAW.... but not completely Raw... he speaks what suits him and the current political party. He started his interview by saying they can't say.... because Pakistan can read the information and strategies. .

[@SenapatiM96]

Remember telling a friend of mine about him (that he's an ex-RAW Chief and an author). She got really excited because of this notion of a hunk, handsome spy with a chiseled jawline based on our movies. Clearly dissatisfied after a quick google search of his pictures, she quips "But he doesn't even look like a spy". Smiling, I said to myself, "Well, that's why he IS one."

[@wow8791]

Haha Excellent response!

[@prasadchaturdesale5795]

Though mr kao looks classic bond

[@gudduentertains]

Maybe she was expecting a Tom Cruise or Hrithik Roshan

[@RakeshSingh-xr7dl]

​@@prasadchaturdesale5795 true

[@ajeyrathod1347]

He was never a spy ..

[@DineshNarayana]

@51:23, Mr. Sood's answer brought me to tears. I have seen this part at least 10 times. I found the expression genuine and truthful. Thank you for that question Ms. Smita Prakash, and Grateful to Mr. Sood (and the ilk), to feel for the "lost" spy.

[@pramod666]

What a disciplined man ! His body language, his vocabulary, the way he diplomatically answerd questions . Hats off to this gentleman

[@sunitaswami]

Lp L😊 please 😊 pp pl l Ol Lo

[@shivanshpachauri2855]

Huge respect

[@tmb6685]

But Smita prakash isn't ! she start new question before the previous answer ends ! Why she doesn't let him finish his sentences ! Though this is a talk show but the topics are fall in "discussion category", which means u must not start next question until the previous one ends. Person shouldn't be interupted specially when u have such a person talking knowledgeable thing.

[@ARFATJR-gl5wt]

​@shivanshpachauri2855 😊😊

[@ARFATJR-gl5wt]

​@shivanshpachauri2855 😊😊😊 oops mom

[@samarjeet662000]

Late B Raman was a great spy master and CI CT expert. I did read Sri Sood's obituary on Raman saheb. Mr Raman followed only 35 people on Twitter and I was one of them.. I am grateful to Sri Sood

[@gnanasabaapatirg7376]

Why did he follow you btw?

[@nilutpalmahanta9832]

Any rules for Intel official after retirement? (Not to disclosed info?

[@ChaitanyaDhavala]

Wow! Great to hear that RAMAN Sir followed you 👍👍👍

[@manjot24]

What an awesome gentleman you have interviewed.Knows his job, is articulate, and has tremendous finesse. India has talent, and they go right up to the top.

[@Salmonellatyphi]

Yes because we are not Pakistan

[@legalright7879]

When u were CCPo....😊

[@BT-111]

Rightly said Sardar ji 🙏

[@TheBlackbird600]

His voice deepens as the interview goes forward and the moment he says "Nothing is greater than the fear of a spy in a hostile nation" is just spine chilling. What an interview 🙏

[@saranshsingh21]

Love this man ... we can sense in his voice how the previous government was suppressing our intelligence agency, lack of action, and lack of willpower.

[@Hi_yayawar]

What level of Jehadi terrorism that happened between 2004 to 2014 weren't investigated beyond a point . Else every such incident would have found a role of Mardood Ahmed Miyaan .

[@ManeeshSolankiVideos]

Everyone who have interest in National Security and Geopolitics should read a superb book written by him on Narrative building - The Ultimate Goal

[@user-ug5zb8xm3w]

🎉

[@priyanshusingh7338]

​@@divyanshshukla6411 the ultimate goal

[@ex-muslimZafarSahil]

​@@divyanshshukla6411 dude, literally the last 4 words of the original comment. Seriously

[@mariabrar6290]

The Khalistan Conspiracy is another

[@rexxbailey2764]

THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS SUPPOSED TO BE ENLIGHTENMENT. 😑😒

[@santosht05]

Admire him a lot!! Back 2014 he then told we have to look forward beyond Pakistan!! We are in capabilities to deal China and US!! Thanks to him for his service .. infinity!!❤

[@chandrasekharanks3212]

Such interviews are first hand information to young aspirants as well as enthusiasts to know the system and the people who mould it to work to get desired results.

[@jamescaffrey7869]

the female reporters always come to the romantic part in this interviews. Such idiots

[@majorchandrashekharkaushik3244]

Excellent gentleman who spoke of difficulties of job he did while we can not imagine hazards of his job. The competence of people in chain of connection makes difference.

[@ashu1973]

I feel contribution of spies in any country is highly under recognized. Even a soldier gets recognition but a spy, we don't even know their names. They live an die in anonymity. Good interview, refreshingly done

[@kavitanaikrane837]

It's good that we don't know their names. As long as they are unknown, they are safe and doing their duty. There shouldn't be any recognition.

[@karan_93]

Exactly. They get no recognition for their success, and if their failure gets them caught, their country disowns them. Read about Ravindra Kaushik. You'll get an idea

[@kalyanikrishnamurthy5434]

I am speechless hearing this interview. The amount of sacrifice and courage taken by such officers would remain unknown to Aam Janata. Thanking every such courageous intelligent officer who make our lives so safe and protected. Thank you Smitha Prakash for doing this interview. There is so much in the mind but not able to express the feelings for these great men and their families.

[@JerryChatterjee]

Quite intriguing to watch a R&AW officer and chief sharing his job life. More such series about our unsung and unknown heroes need to be done. Thanks ANI for showing this. Jai Hind Vikram Sir.

[@parimalsengupta]

This type of discussion should be each month.truth is truth no body cant ignore this.this is pure truth... Thanks both of you.

[@rohitjoshi2241]

50:38...tears in Sood sir's eye says it all

[@shivanigurunanda5688]

Omg 😮 you guys got VIKRAM SOOD on the podcast 👏🏼. Super excited to watch this conversation.

[@gauravanand026]

Thanks for the appreciation 🎉 means a lot

[@siddhartharick890]

U know anything about that men..😂😂😂😂

[@mohammedazad7210]

It’s pointless you coming here, talking rubbish that you didn’t do nothing. The true reason is, you can’t do anything because you’re weak.😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@sumitsarangi7333]

​@@mohammedazad7210 khaana mil gya aajbk liye?

[@rakeshchaurasia2790]

​@@gauravanand026hai 😮😢😢

[@Vinay_Acharya]

Damn! This was almost 2 hrs and I didn't even bat an eye! What a segment this has been. Kudos to Smita jee and ofcourse the very revered Mr. Sood. 👏 👏 Thank you for such an episode!

[@dom6482]

Before the guest answers she is already excited to ask her next question and in all likelihood she will interrupt. He also mentioned, "Today was my last day 20 years ago" and she is like, "ok, so when you spoke with...." :(

[@maheeinvest]

Every Patriotic True Indian must watch this interview. Salutes to Vikram Sir, for this gallantry and committed services and sacrifices to our country. Also, salutes to all those great unknown Agents who are risking their lives to save our country.

[@xdadev]

Vikram sir is a gem of a person to talk to when it comes to National security and IR.

[@basanagoudapatil2269]

😮

[@SriRaviTeja]

I’ve never had the pleasure of interacting with my Grandfather. But this podcast is like talking to your granpa about the adventures & adversities he had been through over the decades for his family. This is so insightful Smita ji. Thank you very much for adapting to the evolving trend that is podcast which often isn’t scripted & is spontaneous, witty & entertaining. Looking forward to many more episodes ! Thank you sir for your service to the nation 🙏🏻

[@lawanyaarvind2810]

Speechless with awe, respect and admiration for the work done by all of you, Sir

[@Sanatani_Sherni]

_"Most powerful countries will get their way by any means necessary"_ is one of the most accurate sentences said in history. 🇮🇳🚩

[@rupadhyay73]

We spies are known for our failures, this is truly hard hitting fact THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICES TO ALL OUR INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS 🇮🇳 Jai Hind

[@satishpful]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@satishpful]

😊😊😊

[@satishpful]

😊😊😊😊

[@satishpful]

😊😊

[@dandsamladi3332]

When I admire Smita for the efforts she takes for such meaningful podcasts I do feel she should avoid asking questions endlessly on this sensitive issues.

[@SanjayKumar-fc2qg]

Cerebral, discrete, thoughtful. The hallmarks of a brilliant spymaster. Great interview.

[@bhayo8522]

It is always a pleasure to listen to Mr. Vikram Sood giving insights from his vast experience as a spymaster. One wishes that Smita Prakash will refrain from interrupting her guests before they finish a particular response.

[@GeraltofTrivia111]

Damn you can feel his voice cracking 1-2 time,so many secrets with him i'm quite sure if a normal civilian hears what he known they will go crazy.Legend seems a small word for him.

[@DrRVPrasad]

This program was mesmerizing. The man does know what to talk and what not to. One should learn from him how to speak a lie with a straight face! How to serve his country genuinely. The body language is so persuasive. The deep understanding of human life and the call of duty. The respect towards the chain of command. Lastly, the NISHKAMA karma that this man espoused is AMAZING!!

[@manthansingh1]

The lapses in information flow + any steps taken have costed a lot to us

[@draditya2011]

Thank you for interviewing him... loved the way he answers and how he puts the nation first by not even taking a single credit. Hats off, sir. Thanks for the service to our motherland❤

[@sanjaimohan2199]

One of my most liked interview.What a personality is Mr Sood.He is so clear headed, grounded and a practical officer.A model for young officers .A sauve and wonderful human being at a ripe age of 80.

[@vinaytalluri]

He is so shrewd, charming, great sense of humor.

[@Invincible.Indian21]

That's why he was RAW chief not Mr. RaGa🤣

[@basantiroy6308]

I fully agree with you. All truths must be released to public with caution.

[@TheMskarthik]

The clarity of mind in spite of being in such pressure cooker situations all his life...👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. Thank you and your family sir, for the selfless service and sacrifices you and your family have done for our country ❤️❤️

[@RM-lg2cm]

What a great person. So sharp, so witty and so matured. Why do we retire people like him, when he can contribute so much more to the country and some politicians who can't , continue well past their eighties!?

[@shyamalayerramilli7859]

These people are unsung heroes!My heart felt salute to these great heroes and true sons of india in addition to our great brave soldiers!

[@chandrasekharjonnavithula7311]

Thank you Smitha for the Podcast. Salute to Chief Vikram Sood.

[@sundareshkrishna6457]

We lost so many young men in kargil….deep respects to our heroes 🙏🏿🙏🏿🇮🇳

[@hardikgupta5730]

RN Kao , Ajit doval, Vikram sood .people like these deserve biopic webseries like family man

[@goodvibes6715]

Bollywood is Bakwaas

[@rohitsawant5805]

NO need, just buy and read his books. Urduwood being Urduwood will never show RAW-ISI bhaichara instead of reality.

[@TrendSuresh]

May be but considering secrecy and national, we should not detail it

[@narsimhakammadanam7013]

As per Bollywood without help of isi .... RaW do not survive Tiger ..Pathan...are proof Still u expect a webseries !!!! U are Pak agent 😂

[@Qetuowry135]

He didn’t give even one straight answer. Absolute legend 🇮🇳

[@nagabhushanamaravanthe2452]

Smitha should allow the guests to complete the answer. We are here to listen them.

[@Indtami]

One of my uncle worked in survey authority of India, now called as survey of India, later we came to know that he actually worked for an intelligence agency, my father was serving in a infantry regiment posted in shillong, we come to chennai once a year, both are good guitarist, when ever we ask our uncle on why he never come to shillong, he always say that he was in nepal, sikkim, Assam, once he went to vietnam on a official trip, we used to make fun of him saying, are you are in the army or border roads., What kind of job is that, he always say that I am just a poor fellow who create maps. Times passed, the truth came when one of my fathers friend who served in IPKF in srilanka, recognised him saying that he seen this person in palaly airfield, Jaffna where he was actually looking for jawans who speak tamils, those days the Madras regiment soldiers were sent back to India on request from srilankan president fearing that these south indian soldiers may not fight against tamils and end up in revolt and replaced with GR and Sikh li, anyways, My father told him that he worked for survey of india, both smiled and left, another incident I am not sure wheather to write., I hope this gentlemen reads this, during my trip to a place called sakleshpur in karnataka in a small resort, he introduced as the owner of the resort, spent time with this wonderful gentlemen with a veteran physique, told me that he worked for survey of india., Thats the second time in my life I heard the name survey of india, his last posting was in China border, he said that he claimed mount Everest along with the Indian army mountaineers and came in news paper also., I leave it upto you guys to decide. these are some of the shady organisations we never know, not sure wheather he was a part of R&aw, but that's the one and only external agency in srilanka that time apart from Military intelligence headed by Col.Hariharan. some years back a lean Tamil guy from chennai in his 40s claimed he is typist and a transcriber who filed a case against the R&aw in chennai high court claiming that he worked for the intelligence agency and stopped getting salary for a long time and requested the high court to interfere. This one is more interesting.. a guy who claimed that he was a nsg and left the army on req from the agency got caught by the police for his connections with the underworld mafia and murder charges, spent years in jail later released.then became the body guard of the highest person in India., either he is from the army or from the capf..unlike we think, two groups are there in NSG..special ranger group who protects VIPs mainsy from capf and special action group deputed from the army who do ops and CT he mentioned that he is a soldier and he followed orders for the safety of our country, but his young life was lost in jail..later he joined para special forces and left. god only knows what happens to these good fellows. during ipkf, everybody knows that this ltte was trained by bsf and Indian army instructors and got trained in jungle warfare school, (must be cijws) after completion of training, the same agency sent the ltte cadres to Israel to get trained with Sayeret maktal, (simply called as "the UNIT" Israeli SAS)not mossad, a top special forces unit and got them all the advanced weapons from sabotage, Intel gathering, counter intelligence, radio patrol, interrogation with jungle warefare capabilities, they became force multiplier and trained thousands in the same way. Our ipkf jawans and crpf personal were no match for those highly trained and motivated ltte cadres except few para units, but still those para battalions were wiped out by ltte during the helidrop in Jaffna univ., Some say that Indian Marcos were successful in sabotaging a boat jetty, but before reaching the jetty their cover was blown up and they swam back to their base, there were reports that raw got them the latest modern radio interceptors to monitor Indian army radio traffic and movements of troops and iaf choppers and some said that raw was fighting along side ltte against the army, all the army movements were known to ltte, don't know who informed. the same agency who arranged the boats for the injured ltte cadres to Tamil Nadu to get treatment in govt hospitals and later they go back and fight against the ipkf, when the Indian Navy blocked the sea routes, ltte requested weapons to raw and that request was went to Delhi during the war, later medicines were sent by raw to ltte, not sure about the weapons and ammo, if there is any shipment of weapons sail from Thailand or from chennai port, the coast guard and the navy won't be there in that particular region, when an ltte shipment was caught by customs, the govt gave the order to release it.,remember all this were happening during the war and the worst part is when the ipkf soldiers went for an operation, they found that Raw agents were there advising the ltte, some soldiers lost the edge, heart broken came back to their base, whatever the reasons, Raw advise to srilanka, I am your elder bro, you stop getting closer to china and usa, both wants to have a base in that Island, if you don't follow my words , (exact words told by our govt to then sl high commissioner to india)we will create more forces like ltte to take care of you, don't forget ltte is the one and only org who had airforce, navy, suicide tigers and army and arty. if an agency like raw is able to create a force to keep our nation's interest just to keep china at bay. Must be an amazing agency, rest all history. Now ltte is gone, china is just 15 Nautical miles from Indian sea border., China has influence over Maldives, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burma, Nepal, except Bhutan we are surrounded.for more than 30 yrs we kept the dragon at bay, when twenty thousand srilankan soldiers were trapped by ltte in elephant pass camp and disabled their artillery destroyed the ammunition depo., ltte cut off the supply routes, when they were running out of supplies, it's the Indian govt req RAW to order their boys (ltte) to fall back so that the srilankan soldiers escape, it doesn't matter how good you do.,some countries will be always against india, I was amazed by the work of R&AW, even though the govt were not interested to provide a seperate Tamil eelam.,R&AW stood for what's right, some say that Indian stopped supporting ltte just because Tamil Nadu will became a seperate land., Its all bullshit claims..when the internal fight happened between sinhala govt and JVP terrorist org the rajabakshas..then Lankan president begged India to intervene, the same agency went in collected Intel and the iaf fly boys did the carpet bombing, several thousands of JVP were killed in forest, or they would have taken over govt just like happening now.,83 Tamil riots the order was given to the same agency to train and arm tamils, the cunning fox president Julia's jeyavardhane planned India to fight against ltte as ipkf..several raw officers declined saying that they can't fight with their own boys since they are the one who trained them., Bad things happen in war, just because of the two main units form Sikh li and gr, the whole ipkf got the bad name., Killings and dead bodies are normal in war, but those jawans went rogue, fearing if rajiv comes back..he promised to send troops, they took him out..finally, after 18 yrs we did share the radar technology to srilankan army and wiped the ltte..even though a section of raw were against it..they followed orders, It's a nasty world., all I am trying to say that the job is not always looks sexy and not all the time they recruit special forces to run the agency operations. The bitter truth is in this Nuclear world, No one is above us or no one below us, we did the balakot strike at night., but the retaliation came in broad day light with strikes at six locations and we ended up in shooting down our MI 17 helicopter, the army is crying out loud that they can't go on a battle with Indian made Arjun tanks and the armoured core is still reluctant to induct.,on the other hand the most required Air mobile units are still not there, we are still not the blue water navy, it's only the veterans, soldiers, Airmen, and the sailors knows the bitter truth. some still think that bsf, crpf,ssb, cisf, itbp are paramilitary forces, in reality , they are police forces. only coast guard, Assam rifles and the Special frontier force or establishment 22 are the only three paramilitary forces in India and another set of people believe that they can actually win a war with few Chinook, Apache gun ship, some Rafales and C130s. The same man once said that we are known for failures and sucess we don't talk about it., May God continue to bless and protect our unknown soldiers who serve our motherland.,I am not sure how many soldiers proudly say that they fought in srilanka., Most of the Tamil speaking soldiers never disclose that they went to srilanka just because of the attrocities carried out by Sikh Li and Gorkhas, sorry for my detailed explanation, these silent warriors have done many great things but never taken the credit, these things needs to be told. from saving Maldives, creation of Bangladesh, Annexation of sikkim, creation of Ltte, Base in Tajik, betrayed by their own in the beginning, their achievements were skyhigh and thank God all these were done in previous govt, you can't imagine if those things happen now.,gone are those days where bureaucrats, diplomats,foreign affairs and the defence agencies were A- political once., But it's a big question now. I am not an expert on any agency, got some free time and shared my views.

[@gnanasabaapatirg7376]

Wow 😮

[@dromkar]

Such an insightful comment but lost due to inappropriate punctuations. Please ensure better readability with punctuation.

[@randomgoodvideos1569]

Woahhh!!!! Blew my mind away. Thanks for this comment.

[@malliktejashwi878]

Arrey kehna kya chahteii ho???......btw great write up!!!!

[@Harsh-vo2pm]

You are right what you have said is completely true my neighbours after reading your comments has concurred with you. He served at RAW for 10 years from Indian Army. He served in military intelligence as captain during ipkf operations jb sri Lanka. Incidently he is a roman catholic from chennai

[@kakakapor617]

I respect you even more SIR for saying.. we are NOT the same people.. between India and Pakistan. We have totally opposite mindsets.

[@RakeshSingh-xr7dl]

True, our dna might be same but thier RNA has changed

[@harshacp38]

It was a classic experience watching this interview..Thank you..

[@AkhandBharat1998]

Smitaji is like a school kid with her comments 😂 Great work Sir .. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

[@SuperVinod7]

RAW, NSA, Military unit, IB r best people who gather intelligence to safeguard our BharatMata from Enemies...

[@Invincible.Indian21]

Meanwhile Political Parties failed them many times 🧐

[@arunpandey9726]

Great talk. Superb. Smita I wonder, if you noted the pain in Mr Sood Sir's eyes when he spoke about the operative,who didn't return and that part. Great, captivating and informative interview.❤

[@captainshyam24]

Highly appreciated shri vikram sood sir, and thank you for bringing him as a guest on your show, awesome! Incredible man with magnetic persona. Wishing you all the very best for all future endeavours , keep it up. Jai Hind 🇮🇳

[@abhinavkarkare]

This was just brilliant! Vikram sir was the first person from whom I got to hear about the real R&AW.

[@sashankssvs9031]

I've read half of the book, "The Unending Game". I want to finish it and then read "The Ultimate Goal" asap. I'm so happy ANI invited him for a podcast. Thank you very much for this episode. 🙏🏽

[@rajatsharma7654]

उच्च स्तर का संयम और विनम्रता काबिल ए तारीफ है सर।

[@FranzBieberkopf]

Great interview. Mr Sood is a wise man indeed. He made clear the limits of intelligence, and also that there's a difference between intelligence and clairvoyance.

[@manasjagithyala1471]

Wow, what a podcast. It's very rare in my life that I watch such a long podcast without deviating my mind even for a bit. It's very thoughtful and engaging. Kudos to the host too..

[@avinabd4501]

its a blockbuster kind of a podcast...Smitha Prakash Mam...ur one of those brightest minds from whom we should all try to learn ...thank you Sood Sir ...for everything that you have done for our countrymen.shaashtaang namaskaram

[@savemankind5644]

Thank you for the excellent interview Vikram ji & Smita ji. We need more Indians to be mindful of what is happening to Bharatham and how our precious nation & civilization can be protected. This is crucial because Hindus do not have a combative mental attitude, Every Indian must be watchful even of their regional politicians as many may make backdoor plans to remain power. The Jewish philosophy of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is worth adopting as it works, Thank you

[@praveenkumarrao1221]

wonderful to hear Vikram Sood sir, about his experiences

[@carbonadcom]

every interview I listen to, tells me how many toil to keep us safe and how much proud we must be to belong to our country

[@Anonymous-zu3gy]

I never saw Smitha maam so excited about conversations, she is excited like a 4 or 6-year-old, btw great podcast really loved it ❤️

[@exec9292]

What about a 5 year old?

[@lifePaultheball]

​@@exec9292 She skipped 5th class. She was promoted to 6 after 4th class.

[@satyavirjha1953]

Pllllllll

[@satyavirjha1953]

Pllllllll

[@nishant17285]

That's annoying

[@user-hi3eh7uf7u]

🙏 धन्यवाद सर देश की सेवा करने के लिए हम सभी देशवासी आपके इस अतुलनीय योगदान को सदैव याद रखेंगे 🙏🇮🇳🇮🇳 जय हिंद 🙏

[@Unni4912]

Mr. Sood's smiles and silences and "you figure it out" are lessons in what not to divulge.

[@neelkamalkr.-is5qx]

Sometimes he never came / I never met😢😢😢 the pain I felt in his words. As UPSC aspirant I am mad for R&AW.

[@mutyalarao]

I simply adore the way he talks - with ease, grounded and void of excitement.

[@meghnamehta7694]

Thank you for your service Vikram Sood Sir

[@shubhamkumar6689]

Morarji Desai wasn't a patriot, he also got award from Pakistan if I'm not mistaken. People like him still exists in Indian political community.

[@singhparihar8530]

Ye bjp ka tha morarji desai

[@shubhamkumar6689]

@@singhparihar8530 Congress ka tha morarji Desai, bad me vo alag ho gya tha kyunki usko p.m. nhi bnaya gya tha.

[@santusanturohit4832]

He was sold to CIA and worked for America

[@sweetguy0]

Such a pleasure to listen to him, a real hero for all patriotic Indians. At the same time, if you think of the cowardice demonstrated by some of our past PMs and politicians it makes our blood boil.

[@rswatashi]

Vikram sood sir is so cool.. he looks like a man holding many secrets which can't and shall not be disclosed to general public in the nation's interest.. Appreciate the culture of R&AW and their commitment to the nation. Smitha ma'am, thank you for making the discussion so engaged.. God bless India..!

[@pranay5623]

At 51:28 he said no to the question that he doesn't meet who comes alive and his expression reflects their training 😊

[@darshp800]

This is the only reason why I vote for Nationalist party. I don't give a damn shit to religion or caste. Security is the foundation of the nation and we can't take for granted ever.

[@prasuncdas]

'Ops' as in 'Operations'. 'NPT' is 'Nuclear non-prolifiration treaty'. Smita Prakash -- trust me, we know. Don't underestimate the audience please.

[@samy3674]

Not really!

[@praseeshprabhu302]

Prasun There are many more who don't know. Just like how you don't know the lingo of the space crafts guidance module 😅

[@satyajitkanjilal3674]

Fascinating!!

[@Reducelevel_0q]

तारीफे पसंद ना कीजिये .. ये पंख लगा देती है। इनसे तो बेहतर कमियाँ है.. जो खुद से और ज़मीन से मिला देती है। 🙏⚘🔥🔥🔥💯

[@hvbhat]

Long back i was in Singapore , an Indian used to visit my restaurant and simply while away his time.he said he used to work for the embassy. Lots of srilankan tamils used to visit the place. Years later i met him and he told me he actually worked for RAW under another known person. Only then i realised that person also worked for RAW.

[@SenapatiM96]

WOAH

[@aanakrukavi]

RAW will never disclose to a stranger who is not part of the plan

[@Harsh-vo2pm]

​@@aanakrukavi no they do tell however to whom they trust and even may tell the concluded operations

[@nathp7764]

May be he is from a enemy's Intel guy.... who is falsifying his identity...!!!! as per the interview it is evident that no Raw official will ever disclose his identity

[@hvbhat]

What i am trying to convey is that both these people were very ordinary looking and never looked like a spy. In fact the other person looked like a jolly uncle,one meets in marriages.

[@harisundar8698]

The pain of people like Sood sir when they do not see the political will to retaliate despite so much of attacks on us common citizens and their own people from agencies is too horrible to imagine. He is correct, the political leadership needs to send a message loud and clear that ‘ghar mein ghuskar marenge’.

[@santanumallick3977]

Just loved this show Huge Respect for Vikram Sood Sir🇮🇳❤️🙏🙏🙏 Love To Watch Smita Mam with her Podcast ❤️👏

[@siddsain]

I love the way his answers precise, clear, to the point and listens even more carefully.

[@atulborkar3504]

10 mins into the conversation and I already got to know something new! BSF was replaced by Army to patrol Kargil heights.

[@RDd188]

Thank you for service to the nation. I have no other words. India is a nation becoz of sacrifice of people like you. Can't thank you enough 🙏 🇮🇳

[@aayushswastik6546]

The interview is fabulous but I didn't like how she may be ignore or may be missed the fact, when he told her that it was his last working day, 20 years ago. Something should have been in order.

[@light5869]

Spot on...he exposed media so well...not everything is about TRP... nation must and does always comes first...ye media wle TRP k chkkr me kahi v ghus jate h live telecast krne even during extreme security issues which back fires our security forces.. Ofcourse they can air the incident but after it's been done.. after the operation is done...not at real time .. exposing all details

[@manas4752]

The most likeable thing in this podcast is that mr. Sood keep things very simple whereas they are too complex.

[@jaikumarjadhav6575]

Thank God Indian spies aren't known; this means they are extremely professional and do their job to a T. Jai Hind. 🙏

[@pcbhandari1573]

Mr. Vikram Sood is one of the few Chiefs who had done a great operational job. He is closest to the great legend Shri R N Kao in his impeccable cool behavior and conduct.

[@mallikarjunsirwar4952]

Having said that, THANK YOU for bringing eminent guests like Mr Kulkarni sir, Mr Sood sir and many more

[@sumitgaikwad3823]

He is very composed and at this age still knows what to reveals and what to not.

[@Srinivas-sv5qw]

One of the most enriching interviews . Congrats Smitha mam for getting him on to here .

[@shadowwalker97]

Great salute to your service to the nation sir