Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Noble warrior

Contrary to the belief that military officers are unkind to the enemies, ‘Sam’ Bahadur — as Manekshaw was fondly called by the Gurkhas — looked upon his enemies with respect (“A Field Marshal and a gentleman,” June 28). He refused to condone corruption charges against a subordinate telling him that he could resign or shoot himself. I salute the noble warrior.

A. Jainulabdeen,

Chennai

It was some time after the Bangladesh war. I was standing in queue for checking into an Indian Airlines flight in Bangalore. When I was about to present my ticket at the counter, I realised that Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was standing right behind me. I asked him to check in first. Politely, he said: “After you.”

S. Gopalakrishnan,

Bangalore

A teenager during the 1971 war with Pakistan, I looked up to Manekshaw as the hero of our armed forces. His words to the Indian troops — “Bash on regardless” — were inspiring.

Sure, he will rank as one of our eminent army chiefs in the tradition of Field Marshal Cariappa.

C.M. Umanath,

Kozhikode

The day after the government announced that he had been made Field Marshal, Manekshaw landed at the Naval airport at Kochi en route to Kottayam. As the defence PRO at Kochi, I wanted the press to meet him but the officer in charge of the reception feared that Manekshaw might not relish it as he was on a private visit.

Nevertheless I took along with me a senior correspondent of a local daily and introduced him to the officer as he walked towards the waiting car. “Ah! the press!” exclaimed Sam and put his arms around my friend.

Spotting a naval photographer in uniform struggling with his camera at a respectable distance, he beckoned him closer and posed cheerfully.

Commodore P.K. Ramaswamy (retd.),

Chennai

What distinguished our victory during the 1971 war was that as leaders of the state and the army that won, Indira Gandhi and Manekshaw resisted the temptation of capturing Pakistani territory. Their magnanimity and strategic leadership helped in ensuring that the Indo-Pakistan war was an unadulterated victory.

Any misadventure in the western sector would have been risky from India’s point of view as we would have ended up fighting the Pakistani soldiers as well as hostile people.

P.E. Muthu,

Mumbai

India has lost an authoritative spokesperson of military operations, a dedicated soldier and an exceptional embodiment of valour.

P. Jyothiradityan,

Kollengode

Every Samspeak is a gem. While looking up a critically wounded jawan in a forward military hospital, Sam asked him, kaancha, kitne goli lagi (son, how many bullets hit you)? The jawan replied, “chaar, saab (four, sir).”

Manekshaw said: “arey, teen aur lagwana tha, tum shaayad ek jarnail ban jathe (oh! you should have had three more and you would have perhaps become a general).”

Col. C.V. Venugopalan (retd.),

Palakkad

The Hindu deserves praise for paying glowing tributes to ‘Sam Bahadur.’

The posterity will remember him as one of the ablest warriors of the nation, upholding the highest military traditions.

Subramania Sankaran,

Chennai

I thank The Hindu for its excellent coverage on Manekshaw. A fitting tribute indeed!

K.R.K. Prabhakara Murty,

Vijayawada

It hurts to see the government of India sending on its behalf a State Minister and some middle-rung officials to attend Manekshaw’s funeral.

A Field Marshal never retires. We are not going to have any more wars or any more heroes like Manekshaw.

A. Mrinalini,

Kanchanbagh

It would not have been out of place had the President, the supreme commander of the armed forces, herself been present at Wellington to bid adieu to the hero.

None among the young MPs, some eager to discover India, was sighted. An insult to ourselves and the national psyche.

C.N.N. Nair,

Mumbai

It is indeed a shame that top dignitaries could not attend the funeral of an elderly soldier, the doyen of the Indian Army and a man who was instrumental in carving out a new nation.

T.R.C. Prasad,

Chennai

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Sense prevails in Kashmir
Can Sariska roar again?
Changing interpretations of early Indian history
Skateboarding invades the streets of Kabul
Zimbabwe must learn from Serbia
Noble warrior
Suicide and law
Nuclear deal
Prachanda for stronger relations with India on the basis of new realities

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu