The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Speakers recall Sam Manekshaw’s integrity, sense of humour

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Speakers recall Sam Manekshaw’s integrity, sense of humour

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw’s integrity and sense of humour were recalled by speakers at a condolence meeting held at the Officers Training Academy in St. Thomas Mount on Saturday.

They called upon officers, soldiers and trainees of defence forces, youth and all sections of society to imbibe the values upheld by Sam Manekshaw.

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, former Chief of Army Staff S. Padmanabhan, Minister for Labour Welfare T.M. Anbarasan, former and serving officers were among those who paid tributes.

Sherry Batliwala, elder daughter of the Field Marshal, described her father as a loving and caring person. “We loved him unconditionally. He was not perfect and had his own faults like everyone else. He was flamboyant, but not always,” she said.

She recalled an incident that took place at Coonoor in 2004. “Manekshaw visited the military hospital for a check-up and, after a thorough examination, doctors said everything was alright and that he was fit. After getting into the car, he told me that he should drop dead to prove the doctors wrong.”

She said her father was a man who was fully aware of his position. Her family was overwhelmed by the messages of condolence coming from far and wide from former and serving officers, jawans and their families and the general public. “We receive them humbly.”

Saying that her father always stood for integrity and honesty, she said the best homage people could offer was to imbibe and follow the values that he lived for.

Mr. Barnala said Field Marshal Manekshaw was a towering personality endowed with a sharp mind and an embodiment of courage. “It was a pride to our nation to have such a great personality who crafted India’s military victories in his four-decade military career. It was the inborn quality of courage in Sam Manekshaw that instilled a spirit of confidence in the government and the people of our country. It wiped the fear from the hearts of the people.”

The Field Marshal was a man of integrity, known for his sense of humour, who showed genuine concern for the men under his command, a quality that endeared him to officers and men. Stating that he was a close friend of the Field Marshal, Mr. Barnala recalled their association that started in 1985.

General Padmanabhan said Field Marshal Manekshaw once reviewed a passing-out parade at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. He told the young officers to “do your duty bravely and fully, else you are not required to go home.”

Terming him the greatest Indian of modern times, Gen. Padmanabhan said he led by example and led vigorously.

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