Will there be another Sam Manekshaw?

Not only Sam Manekshaw, but the whole country considers Nehru the villain of the 1962 war. Seeing the life-size statue of V.K. Krishna Menon on Krishna Menon Marg in the capital, many Indians are reminded of the China war. In that war, our soldiers fought without adequate warm clothing in the severe cold

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw became a legend in his lifetime. Whenever Sam Manekshaw's name comes up, the 1971 India-Pakistan war comes to our mind. He was leading the Indian Army in that war. Sam Manekshaw became the Chief of Army Staff of India in 1969, and the culmination of his illustrious career was the glorious victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan. It was after this war only the East Pakistan became an independent Bangladesh. Sam Manekshaw paved the way for India's military victory in 1971. It is said that it was India's first victory in any war in thousands of years. It changed the map of the world. 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered before Indian forces.

Sam Manekshaw, whose death anniversary fell on June 27, ensured that Pakistani prisoners of war (POWs) were treated with dignity under the rules of Geneva Convention. Those Pakistani prisoners of war were allowed to celebrate Eid in India. They were given a copy of the Quran and gifts when they returned to their country. Now learn about the ungrateful act of Pakistan. Captain Saurabh Kalia was the first martyr of the Kargil war. His sacrifice penned the initial lines of the Kargil war. At the mere age of 22, he endured unimaginable pain for 22 days at the hands of the enemy. Pakistanis crossed all boundaries of inhumanity with Saurabh Kalia, even gouging out his eyes and shooting him. After training from the IMA in December 1998, he was posted in February 1999 in the 4 Jat Regiment in Kargil. When the news of his death arrived, he had been in the army for barely four months. On May 14th, Captain Saurabh Kalia and his five soldiers reached Bajrang Top. After that, Pakistan captured them and handed over their bodies after 22 days. Sam Manekshaw's blood must have boiled seeing what happened to Saurabh Kalia.

After the 1971 war, Time magazine wrote, "A Parsi (Sam Manekshaw) led the military campaign of the "Hindu" India." The head of the Eastern Command of the army that liberated Bangladesh was a Sikh (Lieutenant General J S Arora), and the plan for the campaign was devised by a Jewish (Lt. General J F Jacob). Sam Manekshaw was a brave soldier and war strategist, but his tongue often slipped, which caused him a lot of damage. He was always keen on taking the credit for the victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan, knowingly or unknowingly. In his recently published book – “@75- As I saw it: A Reporter Recounts”, senior journalist Mahendra Ved rightly wrote: “Sam Manekshaw sometimes spoke without thinking. It also harmed him. After the 1971 war, a woman journalist asked him, "Sir, if you were leading the Pakistani army, who would have won the war?" Manekshaw's soldier-like, but non-diplomatic, answer was, "Pakistan would have won the war!" Everything went topsy-turvy. Demands were made to strip him of the rank of Field Marshal. Although this was said in jest, he stood by his answer." It is said that this remark made the country's then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi quite angry.

Sam Manekshaw was critical of political leadership in private conversations, often being its victim. One of his memorable quips was: “Sam Bahadur chuckle: As he [Manekshaw] rightly surmised once: 'I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor, a gun from a howitzer, a guerrilla from a gorilla – although a great many of them in the past have resembled the latter'.” Surely, he had no political ambitions. A visiting American diplomat asked Sam when he was going to take over. Sam retorted: “As soon as General Westmoreland takes over in your country.”

After independence, Sam Manekshaw was involved in all major military operations. He planned the Kashmir operation (1947-49) under the instructions of Jawaharlal Nehru and Home Minister Sardar Patel. After the defeat in the 1962 war with China, he openly told Pandit Nehru that we lost due to poor leadership. Our soldiers fought very bravely. So it is very clear that Sam Manekshaw held Nehru's leadership responsible for the defeat in that war.

Not only Sam Manekshaw, but the whole country considers Nehru the villain of the 1962 war. Seeing the life-size statue of V.K. Krishna Menon on Krishna Menon Marg in the capital, many Indians are reminded of the China war. In that war, our soldiers fought without adequate warm clothing in the severe cold. They also did not have the necessary weapons to fight the enemy. But, Menon continued to receive respect from Nehru and later Indira Gandhi. V.K. Krishna Menon was a very arrogant and stubborn man. When Nehru appointed Menon as Defense Minister in 1957, the country welcomed his appointment. Hope was pinned on the duo of Menon and Army Chief Kodandera Subayya Thimayya to strengthen the defence sector. But this did not happen. Menon would listen to no one. After the death of Krishna Menon on October 10, 1974, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dedicated a road in the heart of the capital in Menon’s name.

China had occupied 37,244 square kilometers of India's territory in the 1962 war. Nehru and Menon were directly responsible for the 1962 debacle. Sam Manekshaw did not say anything wrong by indirectly blaming Nehru for the loss in the China war. Of course, heroes of the battlefield like Sam Manekshaw are not born again and again. India would always remain indebted to him. Sam Manekshaw would continue to inspire the Indian army.

(The author is a senior editor, columnist and former Rajya Sabha MP.)