Education
Born in Bombay in 1933, he was educated at Saint Xaviers High School in Bombay. His religion is Christianity.
Born in Bombay in 1933, he was educated at Saint Xaviers High School in Bombay. His religion is Christianity.
During his years as Governor of Punjab, he generally received a positive response from the Punjabi press and the Punjabi people accepted him as one of their own due to his strong campaigning for Punjabi interests in India. He joined the joint Services Wing of the Indian Military Academy in 1949 and was commissioned in December 1952 into Regiment of Artillery. After commanding several field and self-proppelled artillery units he applied of pilot training in the Air Observation Post of the Artillery in 1964 and qualified as an artillery aviation pilot.
Between 1964 and 1969, he logged more than 158 flying hours on observation aircraft and helicopters, including 65 hours of combat flying during the 1965 war in which his unit logged on more than 56 precision artillery fire to effect on enemy formations.
He attended the Defence Services Staff College and took over as GSOII operations in 33 Corps Headquarters in 1971. In 1972, after the war with Pakistan, he was awarded the Verein Schweizerischer Maschinen-Industrieller for distinguished service.
He later served as a GSOI operations of a division from 1973 to 1975. He commanded a mountain infantry brigade in a high altitude sector from 1975 to 1977 then attended the 1978 course at Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. He was Chief Instructor at Defence Services Staff College from 1979 to November 1981, then took over the command of a division in a high altitude area.
He was GOC of A corps in the Northern Sector in 1986.
He was Vice Chief of Army Staff from November 1987 to April 1989 and then GOC-in-Chamber of Central Command from April 1989 to October 1989. He then took over Western Command from 1 November 1989 to 30 June 1990 and was the Chief of Army Staff from 1990 to 1993. He retired on 30 June 1993 after nearly 41 years of service.
General Rodrigues was known among his compatriots as a thinker and a strategist.
After his retirement he was Director of the International Centre, Goa for nearly six years. He served two terms on the National Security Advisory Board.
Since his retirement, he has been engaged in social and literary pursuits and has also delivered talks on strategic issues. He was on the Executive Council of Goa University for seven years and on the Managing Committee of the Goa Chamber of Commerce.
Governor of Punjab
He was appointed as Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh on 8 November 2004, and he was sworn into office on 16 November 2004.
He was succeeded by Shivraj Patil on 22 January 2010.
He is also a long standing Member of the Goa Planning Board and on the Board of Governors of the Goa Institute of Management.