A life lived such - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

a number of you will be joining and the officers of the England army a great professional army you won't release you won't have wealth but you'd have something much better respect it's a professional army you will be respected wherever you go I have and you have a gimmick what did you come just now oh no II would walk but find is too long Sam Hormuz chief Ramsey Jamshedji Monika was born in a sir Astron family at Amritsar in 1914 one of the finest military commanders of the nation Sam became India's first Field Marshal in 1973 attaining the highest rank in the Indian Army his role as the army chief during the Bangladesh war operations had been vital to the country's outstanding victory today the field marshal lives alone in the Nilgiri Hills in South India he travels back in time over his rich and unique life with his grandson Jahan making the past come alive sir Sam tell me about the beginning of the Bangladesh war the Mukti Benini Oh usual polygynous odds Pakistan really cracked down in a big way the poor old Bengal is what could they do against the patterns and Punjabi Muslim bonds and no suits are pouring in into India the humanitarian crisis a war and the birth of a nation Bangladesh in April 1971 millions of refugees from East Pakistan began falling into India when Pakistan's military ruler General Yahya Khan cracked down on the bengali population he was hoping to suppress their demand for autonomy the sole bond of religion was not strong enough to hold this population of 75 million under the yoke of Pakistan and longer under the leadership of their popular leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman they demanded an equal and rightful share in governance of their own country Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was greatly disturbed by this influx of almost 10 million refugees whom India was in no position to accommodate she felt the solution lay in going to war with Pakistan and summoned general manager Chief of Army Staff since 1969 and mrs. Gandhi in an awful temper looked at me read out messages from the Chief Minister of West Bengal the town of refugees are boarding from the chief minister of Assam Chief Minister of Tripura and she looked at me said what are you doing about it what's it going to do with me so I want you to do something what do you want you I want you to march into his back son I've heard that means wrong so I don't mind it was war so who have you read the Bible God said let there be light and there was light and you see that there be war on the war are you ready I certainly am NOT and I said this was about about 23rd of April I said you Himalayan passes are opening and if the Chinese give us an ultimatum and I said the monsoon will be breaking in a few days time and when it rains in that part of the world we pause rivers become like ocean if you stand on one bank you can't see the other my movement will be confined to roots because of climatic conditions the Air Force will not be able to support me and if I were to go in I guarantee you a hundred percent defeat I said to mr. Colley's you doubt you'll be on orders all right cabinet which meets again at four o'clock everybody started walking out I bring the junior one spider on my face without going on she's chief still behind the Prime Minister before you open your mouth shall I send in my resignation on grounds of health mental or physical and should all sit down Sam tell me everything you told me is the truth I said yes everything I've told you is the truth my job to fight try to room what to do she smiled at me all right Sam you let me know when you are ready by December the tension between India and Pakistan was at its height Bandar beiges freedom fighters the mopti behind were bravely resisting the Pakistani onslaught the war finally began on the 3rd of December 1971 after Pakistan attacked several Indian airfields strategic military planning ensured excellent coordination between the Army in the Navy and the Air Force India did not have to fight any foreign a life Pakistan neither China nor the United States of America both of whom could have been very dangerous the war which lasted 13 days ended on the 16th of December with a surrender by Lieutenant General Reagan Yasi the General Officer Commanding in chief Eastern Command Lieutenant General Judge eats in Aurora in there had captured nearly 5,000 square miles of Pakistani territory and 93 thousand Pakistani troops had surrendered Bangladesh became the first nation to be born after the Second World War Indira Gandhi's rule as Prime Minister had reached its peak 62 the Birol had gone right down to the ankle 65 restored it but very partially not until this brilliant victory was that Bilal fully restored here was a complete victory the moon not looked on India now as a great regional power before we were not considered to be so powerful but after the Bangladesh war we emerged as a major power and the whole of this area this was perhaps an ideal time to once and for all put an M to the Kashmir dispute unfortunately the post 71 war talks at Simla between the two countries could not achieve this and the state continues to be an issue of controversy so what went wrong at Shimla she went there and Bhutto made a complete her I know I've just taken away from the Iook on if I yield anything just now they'll throw me out give me a chance in six months time I promise you everything settled everything peacefully it she came back and she told me that he's made a monkey out of you meanwhile Sam ensured humane and comfortable treatment of the ninety three thousand prisoners of war for as long as they were in Indian custody you also insured special care for women prisoners of war both he and his wife salut worked hard to ensure the rights and welfare of overdose well they this Pakistani prisoners a warning one lived in picaud barracks belonging to the Indian Armed Forces in properly constructed buildings and in strong shelters our troops were staying in tents throughout that year and a half that the Pakistani troops were here I went to Pakistan watch two months after the conflict and you really gave me a first-class welcome the governor this is at Lahore the governor invited me for lunch give me a martini before lunch wines lunch and during lunches in general can you do me a favor so I said if I can mr. governor I will I told you when we asked me about some relation of it my staff is outside they want to shake hands with you I went out and there they were all lined up what the 11th man took his bugling often put it at my feet so I picked it up they give it to my y eq 'map linckia get a 'has or opt is a homage guy being a pastor chaotic idea when kiichi TRT here character Saku Quran Sharif T who look like me so tear up his a1 bar so they would've sharp eye pursuit they up is the ones of interest would object JJ has molasses of casado longer magic karate skirting and he turned around the governor was written e album Kabini mining is up K Hindu Carrabba and I got into trouble in my own country the bureaucrats and ministers complained about me the chief stopped to inquire so let's take it as human cage away him as if they were my sons in law the complaint against me cabinet meeting at me with gladly looked at me I said Prime Minister there were soldiers they fought and they weren't extremely well they lost and I'm looking after the soldiers no more forgotten all about the war and everything soon after the war general Nansha was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his exemplary contribution to the nation on 1st of January 1973 he was made India's first Field Marshal a rank that is held for life he therefore continues to be the senior most officer of the Indian Army I think it deserved it he was the army chief and he had won the biggest victory we have ever had look he was the army chief and therefore credit has to go to him he is one of the finest military commanders that India has produced by one of perhaps the foremost Sam what was your greatest achievement in the army do you do from the rank of second lieutenant to Field Marshal I have never punished a man my adjutant general when I was the chief and my Judge Advocate General used to get all wild court-martial proceedings would come to me if they said not guilty outside if she said guilty and punished and I take the file home and look at you as you know I think witness the mercy of life is the social thing and this how can we maintain discipline with you as army chief you not punish how can you damn chaps it city jelly with your wives and your children in lovely homes and you forget what those chefs are going through about a year after the Bangla this war I had come down from England and we went shopping for just father and I buy because I wanted to buy some cutlery and we were we happen to find ourselves in cannot Circus and somebody I think it was one of the shopkeepers where we went inside recognized my father next thing you knew us he must have phoned up his friends or him at the grapevine whatever it was but the whole area where we were every shopkeeper was out every shopkeeper had something to say came and talked to him somebody wanted to touch his feet somebody wanted to give him a present somebody had some story to tell and it was amazing how much affection and respect he commanded at that time I couldn't go anywhere when people would ask when I general when are you taking the world one evening at four o'clock in my office I was having tea with mrs. Gandhi rang up she was in Parliament House she rang up is it Sam are you very busy and I said Prime Minister the army she was always busy but never too busy to talk to his Prime Minister she said can you come over and I said I'm having tea here oh I'll give you tea I said I have good tea here you give me muck come over okay I bet her to the head you see I said the girl once me come on get the cop the girl wants me knew I'd talk about it so we got into the car went to Parliament House she was sitting in her office the kidney-shaped table she not just she was sitting down like this I walked in in my breezy way I said hello Prime Minister you see what it what's wrong I've got problems so I should all cry on my shoulder one of your problem and she looked me straight in the face and said you are my problem I said now what have I done have I made a speech shall I done something stupid I said what have I done now everybody says you're going to take home from me and what do you think she says you can't you think I'm so incompetent I didn't mean that Sam you wouldn't but she has a long nose I have a longer one I put my nose later I wanted to do I have no intention or even of thought of getting involved in politics or taking or as long as they come on my army without interference okay you're told you enough about mrs. Gandhi and myself more Adi they say ah you want to know what what ad you buy you've been dying to tell that story haven't you but two or three stories of what come what are you by when I became army chief murajjab I was the finance minister and mrs. Indira Gandhi's cabinet then he became prime minister mr. Gandhi lost he actually became Prime Minister one day he said I believe you drink so I say yes I wasn't drink be bad for you so I said Prime Minister I come to my Prime Minister he said you mustn't drink I go to a party and I talk to a pretty girl my wife says you mustn't talk to her I'm a field master his life worth living he says your wife is quite right thinks and pretty girls will join you I said they haven't driven me so far and reading some buck look what I found from Bombay good I found this in Bombay it's everybody's house don't watch this you go it's a photo of your entire family in Amritsar good God how can I even recognize myself how old were you then where did you find it say you buy has it has a whole bunch of them with her so so what I recognize my substance a good-looking chap I know I wanted to know a little bit more about your childhood in Amritsar my father was a doctor our ancestors ancestor whom was bizarre he became a doctor in Bombay at a very young age then he met my mother and he got married but he couldn't do any living in Bombay so they said dr. Malik shall go to the Punjab now this is 1899 or 1900 those people in Bombay didn't know where Punjab was the fifth of six children Sam was born into a Parsi family in 1914 in Amritsar his father was one of the few practicing physicians in the city at the time and remained a numbered sir till partition we're very religious family we taught our prayers and we said our prayer that in fact I hear the same players now that I used to and my mother taught me when I was a little chap every night every night in bed before going to sleep we had a wonderful childhood we used to do five of us because my eldest brother fell he was in Bombay and my father sent us all off to boarding schools weld elder brother John went Sherwood I went to share with Jimmy went to show my two sisters Hill and Sarah they were sent to the convent in Mali and we went for nine months we come back in December you know sure would produce two excellent people one Field Marshal the one Amitabh Bachchan that's right but then we talk to him much after me Sam tell me what your first girlfriend Oh first girlfriend God that was in share with you suit we had a girls school All Saints there mustn't give you a hernia minor yeah used to go at right yeah and they'd come out from the on the dormitory through the lavatory say that we don't beat there no stupid chaps II did watching your father work as a doctor give you ideas of what you wanted to do with you I want you to become a doctor myself how strong was that desire very strong my father had promised to send me he sent my two elder brothers Valley in John to England when he became engineers and he promised to send me to England too if I did well in my senior Cambridge so when my results came for celiac Emmys I'd done extremely well I passed out topping them at school I was eight subjects I've got distinguished in each subject and I came to my father couldn't do any better so he promised to send between and he said my son I promise I promise I'll keep my profit but she'll only fifteen join college here and when you were eighteen I'll send you then I was so stupid I didn't talk to my father who eighteen months and I read in the papers that there was an army examination so I got money from my mama I went to Delhi appeared for Hitler got gambling in 1932 Sam joined the first batch of Indian military academy Dehradun as a gentleman cadet he went on to study at the Staff College quitter and still later to the Imperial defence College in the United Kingdom he was very popular amongst the hello village but he got into small trouble because of his some pranks that is very time and again did you know what my first confidential report was this officer - I beg his pardon - may someday become an officer you know those days every officer who joined the Indian Army British or engine had to do one year with a British regiment so I did my first year with the Royal Scots that's right and they couldn't the jokes couldn't win but I was with him mr. Gordon me mr. Mackintosh it with me during World War two Sam thought as an officer at the frontier force regiment under general slim while defending the bridge over the river satang in Burma he was severely wounded by Japanese troops recognizing his courage and fearing he would not survive Major General Sir Richard covens removed his own Military Cross and presented it to Sam as an immediate award for gallantry in the field was a major Japanese trashed the Lifehouse jab put a hole Buster tommy gun into my stomach nobody thought i'd ever live my mother-in-law always used to start seeing appraise early in the morning round about four o'clock and as she was saying her prayers suddenly she looked up and she saw my husband drenched in blood and she knew that Sam was wounded my husband and Sam were very close to each other and within two or three hours we got a telegram saying Sam was wounded just what 36 hours after I was routed and I liked their morning blood coming out of my mouth and from everywhere else and my Batman messing got hold of the surgeon australium said that my sobs booted through he said when was he wounded you suggested available you wounded then the stomach yeah god bless my time over him because you know abdominal injuries and they should release him straightaway but Maher six had lay - I was still in a bit so you brought him to me but a rooted reason what happened to you young chap by that time I'd regain colonise and a bloody mule kicked me so though you've got a sense of humor worth saving so the operation would be in the hospital after partition I became director of military operations and I'd remained director of military operation for three and a half years I was sent to Kashmir with VP Mullen who was the state secretary the bar as US Army had the Muslim elements and revolted the tribes when had come in and I was sent there with him VP Menon to see if he can get the accession from the Maharaja meet he what the minister situation was like and at about midnight the Mirage assigned kept on saying remember some soldiers we can't send soldiers into your state unless you accede to India said midnight he acceded to India beeping medal handed over the accession papers to Mountbatten not battle looked at me he said mama Chi he's feeling called madam G what's the military situation like us very bad the tribes on a busy looting and raping about nine kilometers away from Srinagar and the airfield if the ones getting people nos Kashmir because you won't be able to fly troops in etcetera so I looked at them and they who talked alone and she saw that Patel lost his temper he said you're unloved do you want class Mira do you want to hand it over I said of course of Kashmir is ours now so he said will you assured us and before he could issue order so that Patel said you have received your orders so I walked out walked out and we started flying troops into Kashmir many relationship with had I Pat a leg so that Patel was Home Minister and I had a good relationship with him every morning VP Menon and I would go to his place and you'd be sitting down there his daughter bunny been sitting cross-legged with a pack of hounds with a brown bark of antique north and he would say VP I want Baroda taken with you I would was the bogey man in uniform when the killings were taking place in Calcutta by British commander in chief he came along will you the Sardar wants you in Calcutta I said why me sir you he phoned you one shooter when aircraft has been laid on for you so I went there the cigar was with the Chief Minister BC Roy when I went in there he said I don't want to leave arguments etcetera I'm going to ask you a question I want an answer if I hand over the situation to the army how many Bengalis will you kill and how long will it take you that was a very young Brigadier so I opened my mouth I said so about a hundred in about a month we should turn around to be done Roy's houses are being killed a grand kingdom take over and he deployed troops all over Calcutta we didn't have to kill anybody everything finished said come here and in Gujarati he tells me to massage on Ebola so I said what have I done you should tell me tell you extra Bengali the Missoni Aikman it be any value that it agrees and well done thing maybe I'm a lecturer as he was then made quite a name for himself as the director of military operations and his highly professional manner of working brought into the knowledge more correctly brought him into notice of all that mattered in the country and in the services and very often at about 7:30 or 8 o'clock in the evening when we were going back he would come and sit with all the g3 the captain's with his feet on the table as usual backing jokes and discussing matters but in a most infernal and lightly manner oh he was very fond of junior officer he's always joking and laughing and pulling the legs and you know the junior officers very pally with him they never felt any fear of a senior officer or anything like that so I was very very jolly chap after being Commandant of the infantry school now in 1955 major general manager had become commandant of the defense services Staff College Wellington mil giri's in 1959 in 1961 there was an inquiry a gas general demonic shah instituted by the then defence minister Krishna Menon Sam was accused of being too anti sized and statements allegedly made by him on various occasions in the past were collectively dug up and used as evidence I was posted to the staff college as commandant as commandant and they hatched up a plot against me they had inquiries against me and what were the charges against me that I'm more British than Indian that I managed to have said that I will have new instructor at the Staff College whose wife looks like an ayah Oh in some ways you can say that the charges were very comic he was alleged to have made remarks which no man in his senses would really make Sam had a habit of speaking out of turn and what he said could be misinterpreted Sam was general nationalist but he should come up with most outrageous remarks actually it was all rubbish there was nothing in it it was just twisted just to fix him he under seemed to handle it very well because he did not let it affect his behavior pattern as an instructor coming out how did mama react over this we didn't bat an eyelid we just carried on as if nothing had happened towards the end of the inquiry China attacked India over a border dispute in a tub in 1962 the attack took everyone including Pandit Nehru by surprise and the Indian army completely unprepared for a war faced a tobacco Sam was sent to this port as General Officer Commanding for Corps then Chinese came in to defer and general call was sacked and Krishna Menon was removed and they were sent for me that I've got a vigorous enemy will you go and take over and I said I've been waiting 18 months for this Prime Minister and he said oh that was all a mistake that was all a mistake with you guys four years ago so I took over nothing and so I always say that the Chinese came to my rescue if the Chinese hadn't come in and the Krishna Menon then all having been sacked I don't know what they would've done with me I said I don't want to know what happened in the past all I want to know is who are my commanders where are the Chinese how much ammunition have I got how much oil petroleum and food if I got and just leave the map to be here mr. dibbs after half an hour I rang the bell they came in and I said I don't know whether I'm doing right or wrong but these are my orders and that was the time when the chief of staff took his hat off luggage on the ground jumped on it he's a tank effing God some at last somebody's giving orders you've never had orders before and my orders were did we start advancing ah the way every time now kinda leisure religion so Sam tell me about when you join the Guru cos we Lord in the Indian Army there were 10 regiments of God consumed when India got independence that the Pakistan went to Pakistan certain regiments went to Her Majesty's Gurkhas and so the regiments email in India but there was a treaty between the king of Nepal and the British government that all Gurkha regiments would be officered by British officers so when the British officers left had to be some Indian officers tribals the first Indian to be posted to a Gurkha regiment I haven't been with a bunch of horse regiment now became a Gurkha what year was this 1947 1947 and as I met a Gurkha sentry I looked at him and I said asked you and your navigator and he shall hunk about a guru then I looked at the minimum catcher and he thought and thought he said sam bada bing sam bada sam bodda this bond with the Gurkhas continues even today his good car orderlies and their families settled with Sam and saloon who knew where they continued to serve Him faithfully the underlying affection between them is a pattern to all those who visit their home exam after retiring as army chief the Field Marshal created a new life for himself in the boardrooms of the corporate world he was invited to join the boards of several top companies of the country and continues to actively help and advise them regularly his ability to motivate people from all walks of life is perhaps one of his greatest assets I'm going on the 29th of this month to Madras from Madras I catch a flight to Calcutta I have a mural meeting and your general meeting of East India hotels on the 30th I come to Bombay on the 31st how many companies are you on the board of now oh you're not allowed to be on the water more than 14 and I am on the wards of 14 companies and you're not allowed to be chairman more than 10 companies but I am the chairman of six do you want to get up to ten No won't you get out of some of them are there any companies that you particularly remember that you had a lot of problems with companies that maybe you had a hand in helping turn around or become profitable or become more efficient soon think so I'm sick I think quite a lot of them became less efficient when he retired and I suppose he had a lot of common sense and his name was good so a lot of boys boards uh requested him to come on the board or he creates a very good atmosphere with staff or like him and they look up to him so he's very popular with the shareholders also board meetings were always a great pleasure with him chairing them and I found them very incisive very knowledgeable and he'd obviously taken a lot of trouble to read up on the subjects that he was handling you the calm and constant presence in Sam's life was his wife silhou her recent loss has left a deep void in his existence she had always acted as a balancing force in Sam's hectic life a talented artist silhou was actively involved in the army wives Welfare Association particularly during the Bangladesh war after settling in Gulu she played an instrumental role in taking forward a small medical clinic for the poor which is now well known throughout the nil giri's she donated the proceeds from the sale of her paintings for the clinic as well sue I was a very very fine person she was not I can't explain it but she loved our world no one had a bad word about her she took part in social workers she had no chip on her shoulder and she understood people she understood people much better than a husband oh she was a very supportive wife I mean she was always there by his side and already added to Sam's charms because a tube two of them went together everywhere and they were almost inseparable he was a head of a very happy family and I think that went a long way in molding the mental makeup of this man he was happy at home so he was efficient and happy in his work so Sam tell me having been in born and born in Amritsar having lived all over India why did you finally choose to settle in and place like Coonoor wedding I used to be to calm down to the staff college and then after the Chinese I was sent off to take over that defeated army and Lamar was here and he bought our vehicles of hillside for the princely sum of eighteen thousand five hundred rupees mama built this house who what got it bill Jenny she designed it so why don't you tell me why we call this place Tosca oh that's very simple stalker if you read war and peace there's a headquarters of the highest military commander in the land and I didn't know what to call it until my daughter sherry who is educated said father why are you think we must call it stalker that's a wife stalker then she told me have you read war and peace know what all you do in terms of canoe and it's community very little then she lubbers living we'd go out she's really go after sugar r22 myself mostly but you should go out and socialize some nobody likes mixing with a field washer oh come on tell me more about Scylla what did she do in the army as an army wife what she did a lot did all the army wives welfare funds and all that sort of thing she very good letter she did a lot of philanthropic work here also yes you and that started that clinic and you energy very good but all those things why are you people asking me about my my wife because okay one final question what then I'll leave you to it yeah a couple actually two final questions to know oh yes one were looking at your life as a military general having all that power at your command are you happy with the way things went was there anything you would have liked to have done differently in your entire career as a general as a soldier quite happy and how about your personal life I had a very pleasant personal life I had my two daughters I had my grandchildren I had my wife I had my Gurkhas quite clever do you like your grandchildren some of them come now will you take we're just going to the edge of the passion dancing

Channel: A Sudhakaran

Views: 856,919

Keywords: Indira Gandhi, Bangladesh, 1971, British Indian Army, Indian Army, Gorkha, Sam Manekshaw, Gurkha, Burma, Arakan

Id: qRmPmm7QeIE

Length: 47min 19sec (2839 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 20 2013