Page 10 - Seniorstoday November 2021 Issue

a token and sat on the bench with the
other women, awaiting her turn. When
the Nursing Orderly called her number
she walked over and said she was the
wife of Gen Manekshaw, IC 14’. The man
jumped out of his Chair and fetched the
Commandant who insisted she should have
called him. He would have made a house
visit. She, equally calmly, insisted she did
not need to be fussed over!
It is a sad commentary that after the
historic victory of 1971, the government
was slow to reward the architect of that
masterstroke. Mrs Gandhi wanted to make
Sam a Field Marshal but for months, her
plans were thwarted by some of her senior
Ministers and an entrenched bureaucracy.
Wrangling over each item went on for
months until one day he slammed the
phone on the Defence Secretary and said
he would not discuss this any further! He
wanted nothing! The outcome was that
Investiture ceremony at the Ashoka Hall, Rashtrapati
Bhavan
10
on December 31 at around 4 pm he was
informed that on the 9 pm news bulletin,
the government planned to announce his
promotion to the rank of Field Marshal.
Silloo called us at the cottage to convey
the good news and we rushed over and
helped them set up Army House for the tide
of officers who were bound to drop by to
congratulate him. At 9 pm we sat down in
Sam’s bedroom with our drinks, listened
to the announcement on Doordarshan
and raised a toast. Jubilant officers began
arriving soon after and the tide did not
abate. At around 10 pm Sam turned to
Behram and said, ‘Off you go to the DSOI
before Zenobia blames me for spoiling her
New Year’s Eve!’ He would have none of
our remonstrations, so we left. The mood at
the Club was jubilant. At 11.30 Sam arrived
with Silloo to thunderous applause. He was
on the dance floor, celebrating and sharing
this recognition with his officers.
Celebrating with his officers
With all the post-war issues settled, Sam
told Mrs Gandhi it was time for him to hang
up his boots. He wished to hand over the
reins to his successor, Gen GG Bewoor, on
January 15, Army Day. After the parade
in Delhi Cantonment, where for the first
time since Independence, the salute was
taken by an Indian Field Marshal, Sam
drove to Army HQ for the formal handing/
taking over ceremony, inspected a Guard of