History :

Saravanan graduated from the OTA in 1995 and joined the First Bihar regiment as a lieutenan in 1995. After joining the army he served at Tamulpur, Cooch Behar and Bhutan before moving to Kargil. He was made captain the following year and major in 1999. His father Lt. Colonel Adi Mariappan died in a road accident in Bangalore on 1989 while serving in the Indian Peace Keeping Force during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. He has two sisters. The Vir Chakra was awarded to Saravanan posthumously and presented to his mother by President K. R. Narayanan.