Yerramaneni Vijay Prasad hails from a coastal place called `Vellaturu` of Guntur  District on the southern banks of River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. 

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Yerramaneni Vijay Prasad hailed from a coastal place called `Vellaturu` in Guntur, on the southern banks of River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. In July 1969 (Class V), he was chosen on state merit as one of the top sixty students to study at Sainik School Karonda. He was on a state scholarship for the next seven years. Since he studied in a 100% Telugu medium school, his English tutors Miss Lee and Sally Grub (from the UK) had to work hard to help him speak, read, and write fluently in English. That was the seeding of his ability to grasp and acquire new skills. He went on to take up horse riding, painting, cross country, basketball, hockey, and football. Throughout his stay at Korukonda, he was never in the limelight in any sphere of learning curves. He was basically lazy and lethargic in his attitude and behavior, feeling that there was no need to run around and struggle like G Sankar or CVV Reddy to be on top of batch merit. For this quality of his, he was nicknamed 'Lazy Prasad' at school. The then Principal of SSK, Cdr N. Choudary invited a few parents to his office to appraise them that their children's performance was not up to the desired standards of the school. But Lazy Prasad stood up to the occasion and surprised everyone by making it into the 56 NDA Merit List. This was the second time that he proved his ability in an open competition.

YV Prasad (Thambi) joined 56 Alpha in NDA from SS Korukonda. Right from the beginning, he stood apart as a very different person from us. While most of us tried our best to cope up with the demands of the Academy routine, he was busy finding ways and means to question everything and generally found himself on the wrong side of the law. Gifted with a technical bent of mind, it was common to see him working with a soldering iron on a 'DIY kit' and his antique, spool-type tape recorder lying open on his study table. During the Academy days, he managed to fool many of us by putting on a facade of being "off-limits". But anyone who broke through that realized that deep down, he was a young man with a beautiful heart. As a friend, he would always want to share all your worries and concerns without burdening you with any of his. He used to eagerly look forward to Saturday evenings with the trio, consisting of YV, Sidhu and Abhinandan (AK) who would polish off a bottle of Hercules rum. Ever smiling and devil may care, Thambi, AK and Sidhu were an inseparable trio in the tea room flank with their large cold coffee mugs, raunchy jokes and endless laughter. Thambi, Bihari, Khalsa were a great example of the seamless national integration that we all amazingly enjoy to this day.

On being commissioned from IMA, he joined 6 SIKH under Lt. Col. (later Gen) Chandan Singh Nugyal. In the exchange of letters that followed, AK noticed the first signs of metamorphosis taking shape. The CO had painstakingly removed the coal-dust, prodded him on to earn the highest respect in the physical side from our Sikh troops, and had gone on to plan his future career month-wise for the next three years. By the time they met in YO Course, the turnaround in approach to all military matters was there to see. Having not done 'very well' in one test, he went back to the Unit only to return and make his mark. All along in the Regimental Circles, he kept hearing great words of praise for our new YV. When AK chanced upon a meeting a Khalsa from 6 SIKH, his profound respect for YV left him with a feeling of great pride.

He was a daredevil even as a cadet, and so the infantry was not good enough for him; he opted to join the Para Commandos after about five years with his battalion. He joined 1st Para Commando, and it was a pleasant surprise to Nandu Koregaonkar to see YV joining his unit as an officer on probation in 1987, or it could be 1986; perhaps. Those years were busy for the unit, due to operational and training commitments and therefore they were hardly together in one place. The only time Nandu spent with YV was during a three-month Commando Training cycle. When India signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in the first half of 1987, YV flew to Colombo, and the unit spent considerable time there in 1987 during pre-IPKF induction, with the Indian Navy, until and after the signing of the accord. When the crisis seemed to settle, and 54 Division was inducted in Jaffna, it was pulled out of Colombo. As the unit thought this was a welcome respite, they got re-inducted in Sri Lanka in October 1987. Operations were intensive right through their two years on the Island. Although successes were significant, they didn’t come without losses. The young officers led the action from the front. 

It was such a lovely surprise for AK to meet YV in the JC Course (which he had come to attend from Sri Lanka). So, on the first available opportunity, they decided to hit the bar at DSOI in Mhow. For old times’ sake, they had all the booze and the best of dinner together and caught up with the times. AK was entirely unprepared for what happened next. At around 10:30 PM, YV said that now that they were in a good mood, that they go and finish off their preparations for the next day's class discussions. AK’s jaw dropped, but sensing he was serious, they got back, and for the first time, AK saw YV making notes. Though very difficult to believe, this became a regular feature and their revisions were done on the back of bar-chits; of which both of them generally collected a sizeable bundle every month. Of course, he did get the coveted 'I' grading. Shortly after his return to the unit in SL from JC course, his calling card was waiting for him.

Nandu only met YV once after he joined the unit in operations mid-way through his Free Fall course, which was cancelled. By then YV was well experienced with the tactics of LTTE on the Island. Nandu still remembers his words of wisdom when he told him “Nandu be careful when you move through these jungles, the enemy is very tricky and unpredictable.” That was the last time he was with YV. Two teams of the unit, including YV’s team, was deployed on a special mission in the jungles along the Mullaitivu coast on the northeast of the Island. Within two weeks of their induction YV and Late Capt. Satish Sharma, who was his team leader, along with a small contingent had a fierce encounter with the LTTE on 18th Sep 1988 when the unit lost two of its finest officers, Satish and YV in Sri Lanka. The intensity of operations over the next month took a further toll on the young officers in the unit, when four more Captains, including Nandu, were grievously injured. It took some time to reconcile with these sudden losses. YV was fondly remembered and respected by his team as a fearless and courageous leader who always led from the front. We still miss him after 31 years.

YV was still a bachelor then. As of today, he is survived by his father and sister who married her classmate N Sesha Sai in Vijayawada. There is an important street named after him in his native town Tenali. He was always looking for more purposeful things to do in life and found his calling in 1 Para Commandos. As a young officer, YV probably conserved all his energies only to metamorphize on donning the first stars on his shoulders to become a soldier which everyone would envy with pride.

Penned with inputs from Anumolu Mohan, Abhinandan Kumar Singh and Nandakumar Shrikant Koregaonkar.

🙏May his soul rest in peace🙏