Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw - 2
“Soldiering with Dignity” is a memoir written by Lt. Gen. Depinder Singh who was Military Assistant to Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw during the latter’s tenure as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The persona of Sam Mankshaw himself is so great that his portrayal had to be interesting and worth a read.
After becoming the COAS (and also throughout his earlier career), Sam earnestly worked for the welfare of the soldiers. He worked, mainly, on two broad fronts. First one was to improve the situation, mindset of the officers and the soldiers; in his own words, “to instill Dignity”. He set out to achieve his task through many ways.
Back then, even the senior officers weren’t assured of their job because the rules were based on seniority. This means that there were chances that even a brave and capable officer would retire at the age of 47 – 48. The government was skeptical about paying out pensions for premature retirement and also, would not encourage doing so due to the training costs borne by the government. Sam convinced the government why it is important to revise the pay and pension structure for the soldiers and officers. He would argue even for the dress allowance, separation allowance. And these were completely just because the bureaucrats couldn’t understand the situation in which the soldiers fight for the nation and what they get in turn. Sam also paid attention to the construction of Army quarters and other military localities. He made sure that they are comfortable, equipped with all the essential amenities. This was just to facilitate living of the families of the soldiers when they are too far to take care of their loved ones.
Additionally, he took a keen interest in handling the issues related with postings and leaves for the soldiers. There were many instances where a soldier or an officer would have a request for leave or a particular posting due to personal reasons. Sam paid personal attention to see to it that only genuine requests are granted. Of course, it wasn’t a bed of roses. Some accused him of nepotism and favoritism. An anonymous person wrote a letter against a recent posting of the Director Weapons and Equipment. The reply was classic Sam and I can’t help but quote it here, ‘The Oxford Dictionary defines “Nepotism”, as ‘undue favouritism to relations”. Maj. Gen. X is a caste Hindu and I am equally high born Parsi. Therefore, there is no religious relationship. The General Officer is 50 years old and I am 58. Therefore, although I was a precocious child, best medical opinion would rule out paternity in this case. Unfortunately, I have not much scope for nepotism: it is almost too frustrating. The only competent officer from community is already the professional head of the army.”! Never again was any such complaint received from that quarter!
Talk about dignity and self respect, he asked the soldiers not to call any civilian by “Sir”. Of course, he demanded due respect and politeness but there is only one civilian – the Supreme Commander President of India who should be called “Sir”.
In another such instance, a combined meeting of bureaucrats and army officers was arranged to discuss some issues. When the meeting was about to start, a state secretary named Harish Sarin asked a colonel, “Hey, you there, Open the window” As the officer was about to get up, Sam’s voice boomed as he entered the room in his usual brisk pace “Sit Down” Sam turned to Sarin and said,” Don’t you ever call any of my officers by “you there” or any such thing! He is a colonel and deserves to be called by his rank, if you do not know him by name.” Sarin and all the other bureaucrats must have learnt their lesson.
He was the one who redesigned the Army uniforms and started the custom of putting name tags on them.
And there are so many such incidences clearly showing how Sam really was particular about things that matter to the Self respect and the dignity of the soldiers.
Secondly, he worked on regrouping and reorganizing the Army. New posts were created so that more young men can be attracted to join Army and the vacancy created by premature retirements could be compensated. He asked his fellow officers to campaign in the schools and colleges for the opportunities Army offers to the soldiers and how dignified Army life is. He also encouraged joint courses with JNU and other institutes so that the army officers can be technically sound and could think of making career even after retiring from Army.
Considering the constant threat faced by India from its neighboring countries, he stressed the point to equip and organize the various commands of Army.
In less than 2 years after becoming COAS, Sam was put to test as the issue of refugees from East Pakistan started becoming a thorn in the side for India. Even after this issue was brought to West Pakistan’s notice continually, no concrete action was taken by them. The situation was getting explosive day by day. The Indian government was facing pressure from the public for waging a war on Pakistan. In early 1971, Indira Gandhi arranged a meeting of the senior military officers and the cabinet to explore the possibility of the war and status of our preparation. Sam’s was the only voice against waging a war so soon. He argued that the army is not prepared for an all out offensive and by the time it will, the monsoon would start. So the best possible time would be after October as Army would be well armed and additionally, there wouldn’t be much threat from the Chinese as the winter would block their passes and routes. In spite of all the opposition from other cabinet members, Gandhi considered Sam’s advice and the wheels were set into motion for a planned preparation targeted for October. *
As usual, Sam was keen to know about each and every battalion, where it is posted, why it is required there and what they are supposed to do in case of attack. He carefully planned the details of all the strategic deployments and worked on getting the logistics and supply in place. He kept the intelligence on their toes so that latest information about the enemy is conveyed immediately to the Indian Army. Mukti Bahini – the rebels fighting against the East Pakistan authorities – had backing from India and that, too, was Sam’s suggestion.
It took 2 months for Sam to put his own Army in place. He was also the Chairman of Committee of Chiefs of Staff, comprising CoSes of all the 3 armed forces. And in spite of being the leader amongst the group, he made sure that he shares a good rapport with other CoSes and give them due respect and enough space to come up with their own inline strategy.
India declared a war on Pakistan on 3rd December, 1971 when Pakistan first attacked our airbases. How India thrashed Pakistan and forced it to surrender, making way for a free Bangladesh is a known history. Except a couple of incidents, the war was fought and won according to the plan. As promised by Sam, the war was over in 2 weeks! As a Chief of Staff and a great contributor to this win, he could have personally attended the Surrender ceremony but he asked Maj. Gen. Jagjit Singh Arora **, the then Commander in Chief of the Eastern Command, who himself played a major role, to sign the papers of the surrender as a reward for his painstaking efforts.
Sam was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and was conferred the rank of Field Marshal in 1973. ***
After a distinguished career spanning 40 years in Army, Sam “relinquished” his post of Chief of Army Staff for Maj. Gen. Bewoor – the then Commander in Chief of Southern Command. ****
He finally settled in a town named Coonoor along with his wife, daughters and grandchildren. Even at age 91, his photos still show his flamboyant and upright personality.
Sam always stood by his fellow men. He would go to any length to reach the people working at the lowermost rank. In a party, Sam was upstairs. He refused to come down to greet a few senior people, excusing himself for his broken leg. But then, he quickly sneaked out of the party, hobbled down the staircase to meet the sentry waiting down. Cracking a joke with him and slapping a pat on his back, he again hobbled upstairs. He could be always found talking to his subordinates, listening to their grievances and concerns. At times, the men were shy or afraid of expressing themselves and would tell him that they have no problem. Sam would promptly put an arm around his shoulder and say,” Sweetheart, if I have so many problems, how come you do not have even a single! Come on…speak up” No wonder, every soldier knew him. And it was one such servant in the Gorkha Regiment who knew him by the name “Sam Bahadur”!
Of course, it was not all kisses always. There were kicks, too. A division deployed in Nagaland was paying more attention to its own well being than to its duty. An infuriated Sam sent a box of bangles to the commanding officer with a note “Ask your men to wear them.” The division got its lesson and things soon became better. Sam was then again prompt to send another note “Send those bangles back, you don’t need them now”. I guess, the lessons are quite clear.
So many incidences portraying the larger – than – life personality and leadership qualities of this great National Hero of our times! It is simply impossible for me to capture all of them in a mere page or two!
And the image that still remains in my eyes is that of Sam striding upright and confident in his starched attractive uniform, inadvertently making others marching along with him look small…
Regards,
Abhishek
*: Apparently, the buzz around that time was that Manekshaw would soon take over the Government. He, in deed, was popular and in a position to carry out a successful coup. But Manekshaw believed in Democracy and never thought of doing so.
**: Maj. Gen. Jagjit Singh Arora made Gen. A. K. Niazi of Pakistan sign the surrender papers. Gen. Arora died recently. If I’m not mistaken, Niazi surrendered his revolver to Arora and it was stolen from the museum. If the theft news is true, it is really shameful for us.
***: Sam pointed out the wrong usage of the word “Honorary” in the earlier draft which was conferred on Field Marshal Cariappa and got it omitted.
****: Field Marshals never retire from Army. They “relinquish” their active post.
After becoming the COAS (and also throughout his earlier career), Sam earnestly worked for the welfare of the soldiers. He worked, mainly, on two broad fronts. First one was to improve the situation, mindset of the officers and the soldiers; in his own words, “to instill Dignity”. He set out to achieve his task through many ways.
Back then, even the senior officers weren’t assured of their job because the rules were based on seniority. This means that there were chances that even a brave and capable officer would retire at the age of 47 – 48. The government was skeptical about paying out pensions for premature retirement and also, would not encourage doing so due to the training costs borne by the government. Sam convinced the government why it is important to revise the pay and pension structure for the soldiers and officers. He would argue even for the dress allowance, separation allowance. And these were completely just because the bureaucrats couldn’t understand the situation in which the soldiers fight for the nation and what they get in turn. Sam also paid attention to the construction of Army quarters and other military localities. He made sure that they are comfortable, equipped with all the essential amenities. This was just to facilitate living of the families of the soldiers when they are too far to take care of their loved ones.
Additionally, he took a keen interest in handling the issues related with postings and leaves for the soldiers. There were many instances where a soldier or an officer would have a request for leave or a particular posting due to personal reasons. Sam paid personal attention to see to it that only genuine requests are granted. Of course, it wasn’t a bed of roses. Some accused him of nepotism and favoritism. An anonymous person wrote a letter against a recent posting of the Director Weapons and Equipment. The reply was classic Sam and I can’t help but quote it here, ‘The Oxford Dictionary defines “Nepotism”, as ‘undue favouritism to relations”. Maj. Gen. X is a caste Hindu and I am equally high born Parsi. Therefore, there is no religious relationship. The General Officer is 50 years old and I am 58. Therefore, although I was a precocious child, best medical opinion would rule out paternity in this case. Unfortunately, I have not much scope for nepotism: it is almost too frustrating. The only competent officer from community is already the professional head of the army.”! Never again was any such complaint received from that quarter!
Talk about dignity and self respect, he asked the soldiers not to call any civilian by “Sir”. Of course, he demanded due respect and politeness but there is only one civilian – the Supreme Commander President of India who should be called “Sir”.
In another such instance, a combined meeting of bureaucrats and army officers was arranged to discuss some issues. When the meeting was about to start, a state secretary named Harish Sarin asked a colonel, “Hey, you there, Open the window” As the officer was about to get up, Sam’s voice boomed as he entered the room in his usual brisk pace “Sit Down” Sam turned to Sarin and said,” Don’t you ever call any of my officers by “you there” or any such thing! He is a colonel and deserves to be called by his rank, if you do not know him by name.” Sarin and all the other bureaucrats must have learnt their lesson.
He was the one who redesigned the Army uniforms and started the custom of putting name tags on them.
And there are so many such incidences clearly showing how Sam really was particular about things that matter to the Self respect and the dignity of the soldiers.
Secondly, he worked on regrouping and reorganizing the Army. New posts were created so that more young men can be attracted to join Army and the vacancy created by premature retirements could be compensated. He asked his fellow officers to campaign in the schools and colleges for the opportunities Army offers to the soldiers and how dignified Army life is. He also encouraged joint courses with JNU and other institutes so that the army officers can be technically sound and could think of making career even after retiring from Army.
Considering the constant threat faced by India from its neighboring countries, he stressed the point to equip and organize the various commands of Army.
In less than 2 years after becoming COAS, Sam was put to test as the issue of refugees from East Pakistan started becoming a thorn in the side for India. Even after this issue was brought to West Pakistan’s notice continually, no concrete action was taken by them. The situation was getting explosive day by day. The Indian government was facing pressure from the public for waging a war on Pakistan. In early 1971, Indira Gandhi arranged a meeting of the senior military officers and the cabinet to explore the possibility of the war and status of our preparation. Sam’s was the only voice against waging a war so soon. He argued that the army is not prepared for an all out offensive and by the time it will, the monsoon would start. So the best possible time would be after October as Army would be well armed and additionally, there wouldn’t be much threat from the Chinese as the winter would block their passes and routes. In spite of all the opposition from other cabinet members, Gandhi considered Sam’s advice and the wheels were set into motion for a planned preparation targeted for October. *
As usual, Sam was keen to know about each and every battalion, where it is posted, why it is required there and what they are supposed to do in case of attack. He carefully planned the details of all the strategic deployments and worked on getting the logistics and supply in place. He kept the intelligence on their toes so that latest information about the enemy is conveyed immediately to the Indian Army. Mukti Bahini – the rebels fighting against the East Pakistan authorities – had backing from India and that, too, was Sam’s suggestion.
It took 2 months for Sam to put his own Army in place. He was also the Chairman of Committee of Chiefs of Staff, comprising CoSes of all the 3 armed forces. And in spite of being the leader amongst the group, he made sure that he shares a good rapport with other CoSes and give them due respect and enough space to come up with their own inline strategy.
India declared a war on Pakistan on 3rd December, 1971 when Pakistan first attacked our airbases. How India thrashed Pakistan and forced it to surrender, making way for a free Bangladesh is a known history. Except a couple of incidents, the war was fought and won according to the plan. As promised by Sam, the war was over in 2 weeks! As a Chief of Staff and a great contributor to this win, he could have personally attended the Surrender ceremony but he asked Maj. Gen. Jagjit Singh Arora **, the then Commander in Chief of the Eastern Command, who himself played a major role, to sign the papers of the surrender as a reward for his painstaking efforts.
Sam was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and was conferred the rank of Field Marshal in 1973. ***
After a distinguished career spanning 40 years in Army, Sam “relinquished” his post of Chief of Army Staff for Maj. Gen. Bewoor – the then Commander in Chief of Southern Command. ****
He finally settled in a town named Coonoor along with his wife, daughters and grandchildren. Even at age 91, his photos still show his flamboyant and upright personality.
Sam always stood by his fellow men. He would go to any length to reach the people working at the lowermost rank. In a party, Sam was upstairs. He refused to come down to greet a few senior people, excusing himself for his broken leg. But then, he quickly sneaked out of the party, hobbled down the staircase to meet the sentry waiting down. Cracking a joke with him and slapping a pat on his back, he again hobbled upstairs. He could be always found talking to his subordinates, listening to their grievances and concerns. At times, the men were shy or afraid of expressing themselves and would tell him that they have no problem. Sam would promptly put an arm around his shoulder and say,” Sweetheart, if I have so many problems, how come you do not have even a single! Come on…speak up” No wonder, every soldier knew him. And it was one such servant in the Gorkha Regiment who knew him by the name “Sam Bahadur”!
Of course, it was not all kisses always. There were kicks, too. A division deployed in Nagaland was paying more attention to its own well being than to its duty. An infuriated Sam sent a box of bangles to the commanding officer with a note “Ask your men to wear them.” The division got its lesson and things soon became better. Sam was then again prompt to send another note “Send those bangles back, you don’t need them now”. I guess, the lessons are quite clear.
So many incidences portraying the larger – than – life personality and leadership qualities of this great National Hero of our times! It is simply impossible for me to capture all of them in a mere page or two!
And the image that still remains in my eyes is that of Sam striding upright and confident in his starched attractive uniform, inadvertently making others marching along with him look small…
Regards,
Abhishek
*: Apparently, the buzz around that time was that Manekshaw would soon take over the Government. He, in deed, was popular and in a position to carry out a successful coup. But Manekshaw believed in Democracy and never thought of doing so.
**: Maj. Gen. Jagjit Singh Arora made Gen. A. K. Niazi of Pakistan sign the surrender papers. Gen. Arora died recently. If I’m not mistaken, Niazi surrendered his revolver to Arora and it was stolen from the museum. If the theft news is true, it is really shameful for us.
***: Sam pointed out the wrong usage of the word “Honorary” in the earlier draft which was conferred on Field Marshal Cariappa and got it omitted.
****: Field Marshals never retire from Army. They “relinquish” their active post.
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