Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw no more

The hero of the 1971 war breathed his last today at Wellington Millitary Hospital ending an era. Born on April 3,1914 in Amritsar to Parsi parents, Sam Bahadur, as he was popularly known, completed his schooling in Amritsar and then Sherwood College Nainital. He later joined the Indian Military Academy in 1932.

After passing out, he was commissioned as second Lieutenant to the Royal Scouts and later to the 12th Frontier force rifles. His first moment of glory came during World War II. He saw action in the Burma campaign and was injured while leading a counter offensive against the Japanese Army.

For this, Sam was awarded a military cross while lying injured in the battlefield. Manekshaw's acumen, planning and administration was evident during the partition in 1947 and operations in Jammu and Kashmir. As Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Command, he handled the tricky problem of insurgency in Nagaland and the grateful nation honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1968. Finally, on June 7, 1969, he assumed the charge of the Indian Army as the 8th Chief of Army Staff.

His years of military experience were soon put to test. In 1971, the refugee influx from East Pakistan into India started. The situation gradually turned into a full-scale war. During this military campaign, Manekshaw showed uncommon ability to motivate the forces, coupling it with a mature war strategy. The war ended with Pakistan's unconditional surrender and the formation of Bangladesh. More than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers were taken as Prisoners of War.

For his selfless service to the nation, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and was conferred with the honorary rank of Field Marshall on January 1, 1973. He retired a fortnight later on January 15, 1973 after completing nearly four decades of military service.

Following his retirement from the Indian army, Manekshaw settled in Conoor district in Tamil Nadu. He successfully served as a director of numerous companies and remained a lifetime patron of UNESCO's Paarzor project for conserving the Parsi and Zoroastrian culture. With his death an era has come to an end.