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Sam’s most endearing quality was his home, Stavka. Soon after the course began
unique sense of humour. At our wedding, we hosted a ‘bottle-and-dish’ party and
just five minutes before the ceremony, he invited all student officers and their wives
turned to me and said: “Are you sure you who liked to dance, to join us on a Saturday
want to marry this fellow – you have five evening. When Sam found out, he was
minutes to change your mind!” upset that he wasn’t on our guest list! We
After we were married, we lived in the promptly corrected this lapse and Sam
ADC’s cottage behind Army House. One made a grand entry when the party was in
Sunday, he invited himself to breakfast full swing along with a young lady – Mrs
and wanted to eat a Parsi ‘poro’ (omelette). Manekshaw was in London. The next day,
For a novice like me, that turned out to he had the rumour mills in the College
be a tall order for the oil spluttered and churning, but in actual fact the young lady
each omelette fragmented into pieces. had just come by an inheritance and he was
Sam quietly ate the portions I was able guiding her with legal and financial advice.
to salvage but while leaving he took She was so overwhelmed that he thought
Behram aside and joked, ‘send her back this would be an ideal break for her!
to her mother’s, she can’t even make an When we were newly-weds living in the
omelette!’ However, I was able to salvage ADCs’ cottage, I used to work for IBM.
my reputation some years later! In 1977, One day, after a particularly gruelling day,
when Behram was a student at the Staff I came home at midnight. My colleague,
College, his ‘syndicate’ (group) was asked to a naval officer’s son, suggested I go late
research the 1971 war. He went off to Stavka the following day and offered to give me
(the Field Marshal’s house) with a recorder a ride; an offer I gladly accepted. The next
to get the entire scoop. Sam balked because morning a white naval staff car drove
he hated mikes, ‘go put this damn thing through the front gate of Army House and
away and bring your wife instead!’ I took stopped at our cottage. Sam, who was in his
copious notes and was able to put together shorts, tending the garden with the mali,
a comprehensive document that passed turned and stared. Not realising what this
muster. meant, I waved to him as I stepped into
the vehicle. The penny only dropped when
Behram told me that while going to work
that day the old man said to him: “I thought
Zenobia worked for IBM. You didn’t tell me
that she now works for Naval HQ!” I had
been told off for sure, a lesson I never forgot
although that was really not my doing!
Playing a supportive, but low-key role,
was his wife, Silloo. He often said that she
was his ardent fan and his greatest critic.
A Gentleman before an Officer! Soon after he became Chief, one day, she
In 1977, Behram was attending Staff was a bit under the weather and drove
College in Wellington and we’d been herself in her private car to the Armed
allotted a house, a stone’s throw from his Forces Clinic on Dalhousie Road, took
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #29 | NOVEMBER 2021 9
