Page 11 - Seniorstoday November 2021 Issue

Honour and drove to the MES Inspection saying his life was in no danger, maybe
Bungalow in Delhi Cantt. That’s where he
stayed there for about a month as finishing
touches were still being put on Stavka.
When Silloo said the house was ready, he
boarded an Indian Airlines flight and left
Delhi without fanfare.
An unforgettable Field Marshal in the history of India Marshal Sam Manekshaw: The Man and
The bureaucrats had pegged his salary a
few hundred more than the pay of an Army
Chief. For the next 35 years, it remained
static without even DA increases as, very
conveniently, the ministry had forgotten to
add the rank of Field Marshal to the grade
structure. He was given no office, no staff,
no guards although a Field Marshal is a
serving officer. It was only in 2007, shortly
before he died, at the instance of President
Abdul Kalam, that the government paid
him ‘past salary’ with a cost of living
adjustment. At that stage of his life, when
his wife was no more and he was confined
to the hospital, the government offered him
staff and guards. He turned down the latter
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #29 | NOVEMBER 2021
the guards could be assigned to politicians
instead! To add insult to injury, when he
passed away, there was no representation
from the government at his funeral. Senior
Officers, posted at the Staff College in
Wellington, were asked to represent the
Army Chief. The masses that came to pay
their last respects more than compensated
this for this lapse. In life as in death, he was
surrounded by those who were his true
admirers.
Till a day before he died, Sam had not lost
his sense of humour. The room was full of
specialists, consulting on his condition and
treatment when he turned to his daughter
and asked, ‘have the blighters left’. She
replied they were near the door, discussing
next steps. ‘I’m sure they are waiting for
me to leave first’ he said, referring to army
protocol where the senior-most officer
leaves first! No, Sam, you got that wrong,
actually none of us wanted you to leave at
all!
The writers have published the book ‘Field
His Times’. All the royalty earned from the
book goes to The War Wounded and War
Widows Associations of India -- charities
run by wounded officers and widows. The
money reaches the intended beneficiaries
and any books bought will contribute to
these deserving causes. The War Wounded
Association is chaired by Gen Vijay Oberoi
who lost his foot during the 1965 Operation
and by Gen Ian Cardozo who famously cut
off his own leg with his khukhri when it
got mangled when he stepped on a mine.
The War Widows’ Association is run by
Damyanti Tambay whose husband has
been ‘missing in action’ since 1971 as is
believed to be captive in a Pakistani jail.
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