Enchanting saga of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw: The soldiers' general, people’s leader and gentleman warrior
Enchanting saga of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw: The soldiers’ general, people’s leader and gentleman warrior
India celebrates 16 December as ‘Vijay Diwas’ to commemorate one of the most decisive victories in the post-Second World War period. The Indian Armed Forces created history through a blitzkrieg-like operation resulting in the creation of Bangladesh from erstwhile East Pakistan in just 14 days. Another historic outcome of this war was the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers who were taken as prisoners of war (PoWs) by the victorious Indian Army post the Pakistani defeat.
The man who led the Indian Army as the Chief of Army Staff to this stellar victory was General, later Field Marshal, SHFJ Manekshaw (popularly known as Sam Bahadur). The release of a biopic on the Field Marshal is another well-deserved tribute to this great soldier. Vijay Diwas is the most appropriate occasion to remember this great Indian military hero of all times.
Most of the soldiers who served with him are either no longer alive or are no longer active to share their experiences or recount interesting tales and anecdotes of that period with the present generation. Even though I was in a school uniform and not a military uniform during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, I do not qualify to write anything about his service in the army. However, I was fortunate to spend two full weeks with Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw when he accompanied us to mentor an Indian Polo Association (IPA) team visiting Nigeria in December 1984. I was the juniormost playing member of that team.
Another point of convergence for this team was the fact that the Field Marshal had reviewed the passing out parade in which the then president of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari, passed out of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. During those two weeks, he accompanied us almost everywhere, from polo during the day to related social functions in the evenings. This gave us an opportunity to hear a first-hand account of the planning and execution of the 1971 war, as well as his days in the pre- and post-independence Indian Army.
He was an institution by himself, exhibiting innumerable leadership moments for youngsters like us to learn. With a dynamic and friendly persona, he earned the title of a “soldiers’ General” and later “A People’s Leader”. It is no wonder he was so popular with his soldiers as a serving officer and citizens to date. It is a different matter that he repeatedly refused the offer to enter politics, which many political parties wanted him to, as he was very sure that he was not cut out for a political job.
During one of the polo games in Lagos, I had a polo accident where I became unconscious and was evacuated to the military hospital. When I regained consciousness after a couple of hours, the first person I saw was a Nigerian Army lady doctor with an injection in her hand and the Field Marshal was beside my wife, highlighting how concerned and caring he was for his subordinates even though he had retired long ago.
Another incident at the residence of the Indian ambassador, who had invited the team for dinner, shows how friendly he was during social functions. The Field Marshal was sitting on the armrest of a sofa, talking to the ladies when the Indian ambassador introduced him to the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria. Seeing him so informal, the Japanese ambassador could not believe that he held such an eminent personality. To confirm this fact, he asked me if the person he was introduced to was really a Field Marshal. When I told him that he was the only Field Marshal of India (Field Marshal KM Cariappa was bestowed with the Field Marshal’s rank later), he was so excited that he kept clicking pictures with Sam Manekshaw. It is rare to see such tall leaders with so much competence, confidence, wit and presence. I observed that he conducted himself with a lot of grace and in a friendly manner, yet he was very disciplined about his food and drinks.
He left Nigeria for London a day before, and we were to travel the next day. When we arrived at the hotel in London, he received the team at the hotel and even gave us a lesson on how to operate those fancy electronic locks on the doors, which many of us had not experienced in that era until then. These acts may appear very innocuous, but to me, they exhibited immense esprit de corps and a caring attitude for his subordinates. Leadership was so ingrained in him that he displayed it in his routine conduct.
He shared with us his experiences with the government led by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, prior to the 1971 war and how he had a one-to-one relationship with the then prime minister before and during the war. He narrated an incident when he was asked to attack East Pakistan in Mar/Apr 1971 because of an influx of refugees from East Pakistan. He told the cabinet that all he could assure the prime minister was a defeat in case the Indian Army launched the offensive in Mar/Apr 1971 due to a lack of orientation and the impending monsoon.
The then defence minister, Jagjivan Ram, told him, “Arre Shyam (Sam), Mann jao Na, madam bol rahe hain” (Sam, please agree to launch the operation now that the prime minister iss telling you). Once the Cabinet meeting was over and all ministers had left the room, Gandhi called him back. He thought that she might be annoyed with him for his forthright and outspoken advice, she might be thinking of sacking him. Before she could speak, he asked the prime minister in case she wanted his resignation on health or any other grounds. To his utter surprise, she told him to sit down and explain in detail the reasons for his advice after which she agreed with his plan. He was a General who stood by his professional convictions and had the moral courage to call a spade a spade.
He narrated another incident where a minister addressed the then Director Military Operations by his surname without prefixing his rank. He had the courage to advise the minister that protocol demanded he either addressed the officer by his first name in case he had that relationship with him or prefix his rank with his surname. To some, these issues may seem very elementary, but they count a lot in the army where this rapport and relationship amongst the team members hold them together when bullets and shells are flying all around you.
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was a gentleman, a soldier, a soldiers’ General, a dynamic leader, and a people’s man who was a true professional, firm yet very kind and compassionate. He has lived in Indian citizens’ hearts and will continue to do so forever. It was such a pleasant way to learn values and leadership from the tallest leader of all times. We salute him on the occasion of Vijay Diwas.
The author, now retired, was head of Army Service Corps. He is a distinguished fellow at United Service Institution of India and a motivational and leadership speaker. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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