Nair was commissioned into 16
Maratha Light Infantry on 13 June 1971. He was promoted lieutenant on 13 June 1973 and to captain on 13 June 1977. His career in the Indian Army spanned over two decades, during which he had held varied command as well as staff appointments. He served in the
IMTRAT in
Bhutan. He also served as an instructor at the Army Intelligence school in Pune. In 1983, in
Mizoram, Nair engaged the insurgents in
Close-quarters combat for which he was awarded the
Kirti Chakra in recognition of his exceptional gallantry. He was promoted substantive major on 13 June 1984, and was promoted lieutenant-colonel (by selection) on 1 January 1992. In 1993, his unit, the 16th battalion the
Maratha Light Infantry was deployed in
Nagaland. In December 1993, he was leading an advance party convoy in Nagaland, when they were ambushed by about one hundred insurgents. The overwhelming fire from automatic weapons killed one junior commissioned officer and 13 jawans on the spot. Col Nair, who was seriously injured, did not lose his courage. mindful of his serious injury, he organised his jawans in an assault line and charged at the insurgents when they broke ranks and fled. For his courage and gallantry he was awarded the
Ashoka Chakra posthumously in 1994. ==Major decorations==