Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Farewell Sam

It was during the 1970s that Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw chose to make a then sleepy town, Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, his hometown. We were overawed by the presence of a national war hero in our midst. One could always spot him in his shiny red car along with his faithful Gurkha guards and ever-present Labradors. He became part of the social milieu in the Nilgiris while his wife Siloo quietly worked for charitable organisations. One could spot him reprimanding an itinerant driver on the ghat road. Local merchants and sabziwallahs were first name acquaintances.

Manekshaw was a regular visitor to our travel agency. He had no airs about him and was a picture of impeccable courtesy, wit and repartee. He would always leave us in laughter and a cheerful mood. Once when I attended to him standing, he asked me to sit down. As I hesitated he said, “Son, I do not ever like anyone looking down upon me.” In his passing, the bard would aptly surmise “ … and the elements So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, ‘This was a man’.”

J. Antony Charles,

Coonoor

Apart from being an outstanding leader of men, a rare personification of elegance, wit, and charm, Manekshaw was exceptionally genuine and humane. Four of us were fortunate to be invited to the Field Marshal’s Coonoor residence on an evening in December 2002. The twinkle in the eye of the extraordinarily handsome 88-year-old Sam was magnetic. His attachment to his wife Siloo, whom he adoringly referred to as ‘silly old girl,’ was evident. It was obvious that he missed her (she died in 2001).

He told us how, as army chief, he was about to court martial a senior officer for having an affair with a married woman. Indira Gandhi, in a lighter vein, told him “Sam, the girl must be very pretty.” Recalling that Indira Gandhi had fabulous instincts, the Field Marshal said he moderated the punishment as “I realised that the officer was after all human.”

A.V. Girija Kumar,

Mumbai

I had a chance to see firsthand the Field Marshal in action. It was at the Coimbatore airport which was witness to chaotic scenes with unruly traffic hampering the free movement of passengers. On seeing the confusion, Sam, who was there to catch a flight, promptly handed over his small bag to the person accompanying him. He waded through the pile of vehicles and started directing traffic, instructing the drivers to find proper and designated parking slots. This continued for 10 minutes till the traffic police arrived on the scene.

It was inspiring to see India’s most decorated soldier taking charge of the situation, age notwithstanding. I may have never known Sam Bahadur but I feel a profound sense of loss at his passing.

Navin Muralidharan,

Chennai

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