BOOK REVIEW

FD MARSHAL SAM MANEKSHAW; SOLDIERING WITH DIGNITY

BY SHELLEY K DAS

1. This book has been advertised as the approved/official biography of the Field
Marshal. It has been written by Lt Gen (Retd) Dipender Singh who was his MA
from 1969-73.

2. An interesting fact about the book is that it’s draft was sent by the author to
the Fd Marshal in 1975 & it was in 1996 that it was returned by the Fd Marshal to the
author to publish it.

3. In my personal opinion, the title of the book does not augur well with the
content. A more apt title would have been ‘My Years with the Fd Marshal’ or
anything better, to that effect. This opinion arises from the fact that the book primarily
brings to life, the legend’s yrs as the COAS rather than being a biography of his full
life – personal or professional.

AUTHOR

5. Speaking of the author, his claim to fame is his earlier book ‘IPKF in Sri
Lanka’ which he wrote with his experience as its Overall Force Cdr. He has been
honoured the Shiromani Award & Lokshree Award by the Indian govt. He
commanded the Southern Army before his retirement. He belongs to the Fd
Marshal’s regiment – 8th GR.

GENRE

6. The book easily comes over as a personal memoir which focuses on the
association the author had with the Fd Marshal.

PLAUSIBILITY OF PREMISE

7. The very fact that the author was the MA to the COAS during the pd covered
in the book accounts for its plausibility.
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CONTENT

Prologue

8. The book begins with a prologue where Fd Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw hands
over the baton of COAS to Gen Bewoor, PVSM & Army HQ bids farewell to the
outgoing chief.

Introduction

9. Next comes the introductory note where the author seeks forgiveness for his
occasional eulogies of the Fd Marshal. The author hopes that, from his intimate
account of the Fd Marshal during his most tumultuous yrs, a true picture of the man
may emerge who otherwise, had a fair degree of criticisms & controversies
associated with him.

The Early Years

10. The first chapter –‘The Early years’ has the life of the Fd Marshal from the
time of his birth till his taking over as COAS condensed into 17 pages. The
highlights of this chapter are :-

(a) How a parsi family on its way to Lahore got to settle in Amritsar.

(b) His commissioning into 54 SIKH, presently in Pak Army where his first
ACR pen picture read, ‘This offr, i beg his pardon, this man, may one day
become an officer’.

(c) His being conferred the MC in a Burmese jungle with 7 bullets perched in
his stomach.

(d) His tenure as GSO-1 & Director of Mil Ops in AHQ by virtue of which
he never got an opportunity to comd a bn.

(e) His posting as Comdt DSSC where a C of I was convened against him
for ten various types of charges each of which he came clean of.

(f) Posting as GOC-in-C, 4 Corps followed by taking over as Army Cdr

WC, shift to EC & finally to AHQ.
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Move to Delhi

10. The next Chapter - Move to Delhi deals with the incidents in the run up to his
being chosen as the Army Chief. The author brings out in detail how his
acquaintance with the Fd Marshal started & how it culminated in his being chosen as
his MA.

MA to the Army Chief

11. The third chapter – ‘MA to the Army Chief’ can be best described as a ‘Guide
to the Working of Chief’s Secretariat ‘. The charter of duties & the vagaries of the job
are listed in detail which at times may bore the reader a bit. It also brings out the
subtle tussles that goes on at the highest level between the generals & the
bureaucracy & depicts how the Fd Marshal showed them their place by his firmness,
wit & sense of humour.

The Business Of Comd

12. The next chapter ‘The Business of Comd’ begins with the author asking the
Fd Marshal what was the most important quality a chief should have to which the
reply was that he must not seek a job after retirement. The chapter then goes on to
describe the preoccupations of the chief on assuming the mantle. The KRAs are
brought out & the Fd Marshal’s style of functioning is blended with how the chores of
the day were carried out. An instance worth mentioning is the chief’s aversion to an
offr addressing any civ as sir except the President who is the supreme cdr. For him,
rest all were just Mr Minister or Mr Secretary. In this acct of peace time activities of
the chief’s secretariat, the author boldly brings out the lack of moral values displayed
by many in the higher echelons - be it in recommendation for postings & promotions
or the role of wives, mothers & in laws in securing their dear ones’ careers & how
annoyed the chief was at this & how he tried to rectify the system.

Reorganisation

13. The fifth chapter ‘Reorganisation’ brings out the Fd Marshal’s operations
oriented activities on assumption of comd, the focus of which was to negate the
advantage Pak always enjoyed because of its peacetime cantts being loc nearer to
the IB opposed to India’s which are loc well into the hinterland. New cantts were
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raised & fmns rehashed to strike a bal between the Western & Eastern posture.
Other actions worth mention are the modernisation of Armd Corps, persuasion of AC
offr to shift to Gen Cadre thus removing stagnation, starting of the HC course &
keeping it w/o grading, est of College of Comb & Counting of ACR pts along with
exam results for selection to DSSC. The political & bureaucratic nexus existing in
arms procurement & the chiefs efforts to minimize it are also given out. Other
interesting facts are small histories behind introduction of name tabs & designing of
uniform for MNS.

Travelling With The Chief

14. The chapter ‘Travelling With The Chief’ is a personal acct of many trips the
author had accompanied the Fd Marshal on. One imp quality of the Fd Marshal is
his aversion to making the minutest alteration to a vis pgme once issued. He fully
realised the cascading effect it had on the pers down the chain. From this chapter
one gets to learn about how a chief’s vis is conducted in a unit; one also gets to
know that the CO’s stick orderly is not a permanent indl, but is actually a man
selected out of the day’s Qr Gd with the smartest turn out & impressive presence &
he is supposed to accompany the CO the whole day wherever he goes rather than
be a mere office runner.

Prelude to War

16. ‘Prelude to War’ is a chapter which gives good insight to the behind-the-scene
activities which formed the run up to the 1971 war. The events rumoured as Indian
army’s refusal to go to war & others are recounted with believable authenticity.

The War

17. The chapter ‘The War’ along with the previous, makes for interesting read for
the professional. One gets to know what were the concurrent political, bureaucratic &
professional activities taking place at the HQ during the war pd. It would surely
interest many to know what bosses in Delhi would be doing when they are out
fighting. The chapter does not give any op details barring few broad mentions of
events.
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19. A significant incident that reflected the Fd Marshal’s strength of character was
his refusal to rx the surrender from Gen Niazi. He believed that it was Gen Aurora’s
show on grnd & therefore he should bask in its glory rather than himself.

Aftermath

20. This chapter highlights the minor irritants that stood in the way of signing the
Shimla Accord & how the Fd Marshal employed his diplomatic tact to overcome
these. The author throws light on how close India came to getting LC accepted as
the IB, how close she came to having a Chief of Defences Staff & how close she
came to having a `Member Defence’ in the Planning Commission & alas! how
bureaucratic & professional meanness came in way to thwart all these.

Making Way For New Beginners

21. ‘Making Way For New Beginners’ is a solemn portrayal of the fate that befalls
each service professional on retirement. How helpless a military man is after his
retirement is brought out truthfully with the best example of the Fd Marshal who, after
relinquishing office, was not even given a proper accn in Delhi, thanks to a defence
minister, whose feathers he had ruffled while in service albeit for genuine reasons.
The grace with which the Fd Marshal handled the situation again shows the inner
strength of the legend.

Post Script

22. The author uses this chapter to clarify the criticism gracelessly levelled
against the Fd Marshal on conduct of the war by Lt Gen JFR Jacob & Maj Gen M
Palit when he was in his death bed not even able to defend himself. These criticisms
had grabbed considerable media attn & are proved pointless by the author who had
the first hand info of things.

23. The book ends with five appendices which are the scripts of various speeches
del by the Fd Marshal at various institutions. His address to the students of DSSC in
1998 stands out as a single most important document which depicts the man in all
his charm & grace & suffices to allay any doubts or apprehensions any one may
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have about the genuineness & authenticity of the legend behind Fd Marshal SHFJ
Manekshaw.

LANGUAGE

25. The book has a simple language with many phrases, idioms & quotes which
enriches ones vocabulary & avoids monotony.

STYLE

27. The author has chosen to narrate the incidents in a very random manner the
purpose of which mainly is to reflect the character of Fd Marshal Manekshaw in
various contexts. It comes across as a flow of recollections of a four yr pd
interspersed with unavoidable digressions into the profession of arms as a whole.
He has boldly brought out names of people regardless of the virtues they have
displayed in adversity. He has been candid in describing the many malpractices
which exist at higher levels within & outside our profession.

PRODUCTION VALUE

28. Hard binding, with good quality papers & lucid error free printing makes it a
pleasant read. Rs 450/- costing makes it suitable to be procured by institutions & die
hard Manekshaw fans. This book was first published in 2002. The Imposing
photograph of the Fd Marshal on its cover page is an eye catcher.

VERDICT

29. Tgt Audience. Any one who is interested to know more about the
legend. And of course, it would do great good if all generals read & tried to emulate
qualities highlighted in it.

30. Final Verdict. For the author it is a rich tribute to his leader, but for an
ordinary reader, it is a good insight into Sam's personality.
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