SamManekshawBiography

FieldMarshalSamManekshawwasthefirstIndianArmyOfficerto become the Field Marshal. This biography of Field MarshalSam Manekshaw provides detailed information about hischildhood,life,achievements,works&timeline.

QuickFacts

NickName SamBahadur

AlsoKnownAs SamHormusjiFramjiJamshedjiManekshaw

Nationality Indian

Bornon 03April1914AD

ZodiacSign Aries

Bornin Amritsar,Punjab

Diedon 27June2008AD

Placeofdeath Wellington,TamilNadu

Father HormusjiManekshaw

Mother Heerabai

Spouse: Silloo

AwardsPadmaVibhushan(1972)PadmaBhushan(1968)MilitaryCross(1942)

India’s first ever Field Marshal, Sam Manekshaw was adistinguishedmilitarymanwithaglorious career spanningoverfour decades. The very name Sam Manekshaw is enough toinspire respect and admiration in the minds of Indians eventoday. Given his achievements in the army and his prowess onthewarfront,itseemseasytoassumethatthemanwasalwaysdestined for a military career. But the weird fact is that it wasjustaquirkof fatethathe joinedthearmy!Abrilliantstudentatschool, the boy set his aspirations on becoming a doctor. HeaskedhisfathertosendhimtoEnglandtostudymedicinewhichthe older man refused. In an act of rebellion, the young Samdecided tosit forenrollmentat the IndianMilitaryAcademy.Hegot selected and thus embarked on what was to become hisrightful fate. His long and productive career started during theBritisheraandcontinued for40yearsoverwhichhewitnessedseveral major wars like the World War II and the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. He was a very bold man not at all shy aboutmakingpoliticallyincorrectstatements.

Childhood&Early LifeSam was born to Parsi parents in Amritsar. His father,Hormusji Manekshaw was a doctor. His mother ’s namewasHeerabaiandhehadthreebrothersandtwosisters.

Sam’sfatherhadbeenaCaptainintheRoyalBritishArmyand had come to Amritsar from Bombay where he hadstartedamedicalpracticeandpharmacy.

Hewaseducatedat theSherwoodCollege inNainital.Hewas a brilliant student and achieved a distinction in the

SchoolCertificateexaminationoftheCambridgeBoard.

Setting his eyes on becoming a doctor, he asked hisfather to send him to England to study medicine. Hisfather felt Sam was too young to be on his own andrefusedtosendhimuntilhewasolder.

The teenager was upset that his father refused and inrebellion he decided to appear for the entranceexamination for enrollment into the Indian MilitaryAcademy(IMA).

CareerHisentrancetestwentoffwellandhesoonbecameapartof the intake of 40 cadets at IMA in 1932. He graduatedfrom the institution two years later on 4 February 1934and was immediately commissioned as a secondlieutenantintheBritishIndianArmy.

After he completed his attachment with a British InfantryBattalion,the2ndBattaliontheRoyalScots,hejoinedthe4thBattalion,12FrontierForceRegiment.

HeservedinBurmaduringtheWorldWarIIin1942wherehewasonthecampaignontheSittangRiverwiththe4/12FrontierForceRegiment.HewasaCaptainatthattime.

It was a very difficult time for the Indian Army as theyfaced the invading Japanese Army while fighting aroundPagoda Hill. In spite of all the challenges they capturedthe hill though Manekshaw was gravely wounded. Everthegrittyman,hesoonrecoveredandresumedhisduties.

Heattended the8thStaffCourseatStaffCollege,QuettafromAugust toDecember1943afterwhichhewaspostedas the Brigade Major of the Razmak brigade. He servedtheretillOctober1944.

He was sent to serve on General Daisy’s staff in Indo-China towards the end of the World War II. There hehelped to repatriateover10,000 formerPrisonersofWar(PoW).

Afterindependence,hewasreassignedtothe16thPunjab

Regiment where he was retained at the ArmyHeadquarters as a Lieutenant Colonel in the MilitaryOperationsDirectorate.Hewaslaterpromotedtotherankofbrigadier.

He was posted to the Infantry School at Mhow as theschool’s commandant. Later on he commanded a divisioninJammu&KashmirandalsoacorpsintheNorthEast.

He succeeded General Kumaramangalam as the eightCOAS (Chief Of Army Staff) in June, 1969 and in 1971wenttothehistoricwaragainstPakistan.TheIndianArmyemerged victorious under Manekshaw’s direction and thewarendedwiththesurrenderofPakistan’seasternhalf.

He was elevated to the rank of Filed Marshall on 1January 1973 and he retired from active service on 15January1973.

After retirement went on to serve as the director andchairmanof several companies, taking forward his legacyofdisciplineandhardwork.

MajorBattlesHe led India to a famousmilitary victory over Pakistan inthe Indo-PakistanWarof1971 that led to the liberationofBangladesh..

Awards&AchievementsHe was honored with the Padma Vibhushan, the secondhighest civilian award in theRepublic of India in 1972 forhisservicestowardsthecountry.

The President of India conferred upon him the rank ofFieldMarshalon1January,1973.

PersonalLife &LegacyHemetSillooBodeatasocialgatheringinLahorein1937and the two fell in love. The couple got married in April1939andhadtwodaughters.

Sam Manekshaw lived a long and happy life. He died ofpneumoniain2008attheripeoldageof94years.