The Indian general who commanded the military campaign that led to the creation of Bangladesh has died at the age of 94.

Sam Manekshaw, whose career spanned four decades, was one of India's best known and well-respected soldiers.

Under the British, he was decorated for gallantry in World War II for his part fighting the Japanese army in Burma.

After India gained independence, he became chief of the army in 1969 and in 1973 was made field marshal.

'The brave'

Under his command, India went to war with Pakistan in 1971, supporting Bengali nationalists in what was then East Pakistan.

Pakistan surrendered within 14 days and Bangladesh was born.

In 1973, only a fortnight before he retired, he was promoted to the rank of field marshal, one of only two Indian army generals to rise to the post.

"Sam Bahadur" or "Sam the Brave" died in Tamil Nadu


Sam Manekshaw otherwise known as Sam Bahadur - or "Sam the Brave" - was born in the northern Indian town of Amritsar in 1914 and was among the first batch of recruits at the Indian Military Academy set up by the British in 1932.

Serving under the British, he was decorated for his part in a battle with the Japanese army in Burma.

He made the transition to working for independent India with ease and became chief of the Indian army in 1969.

He played a decisive role in some of India's most significant wars, including the war with China in 1962 and the victory over Pakistan in 1971, which made him a national hero.

A documentary film made about him in 2003 captured some of his much admired sense of humour.

In one sequence Field Marshal Manekshaw recalls how, following the 1971 war against Pakistan, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi confronted him about rumours that he was planning a coup against her.

"Don't you think I would not be a worthy replacement for you Madam prime minister? You have a long nose, so have I. I don't poke my nose in other people's affairs," he joked.

In the film, Field Marshal Manekshaw also said that India lost a golden opportunity to solve the Kashmir issue once and for all at the Shimla summit with Pakistan which was held soon after the 1971 war.


'Thorough gentleman'

The BBC's Charu Shahane says that he will be remembered as being handsome and witty with a handlebar moustache - every inch a victorious soldier.


Our correspondent says that he captured the public imagination and became a hero in the eyes of India's people.

The Bangladesh war of independence was brief but bloody



In retirement, the field marshal remained reticent and eager to keep a low profile despite being much adored by his countrymen.

He recently refused to comment on the war in Iraq despite a huge gathering of journalists bombarding him with questions.

Tributes have been pouring into the websites of Indian newspapers, calling him "a great soldier and a very thorough gentleman".

Sam Manekshaw, who had been battling a series of illnesses, died at a military hospital in Wellington in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where he had lived since retiring.

Indian Defence Minister AK Antony said the nation "had lost a great soldier, a true patriot and a noble son".

Sam H.F.J. Manekshaw Dies at 94; Key to India's Victory in 1971 War

By HARESH PANDYA
Published: June 30, 2008

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, India’s best-known soldier and the architect of the country’s victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan that gave birth to Bangladesh, died in Wellington, India, on Friday. He was 94.

The cause was pneumonia, India’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Field Marshal Manekshaw first drew notice as a captain in the British Indian Army during World War II. He was severely wounded on Feb. 22, 1942, in a counteroffensive against the Japanese on the Sittong River in Burma, now known as Myanmar. But he kept exhorting his soldiers, and he continued fighting until he collapsed.

Fearing the worst, the English commander, Maj. Gen. D. T. Cowan, pinned his own Military Cross on Captain Manekshaw and was quoted as saying, “A dead person can’t be awarded a Military Cross.”

But the young officer survived, and a storied military career began. He not only recovered from his wounds but went back to Burma later in the war and was wounded again.

In 1947, as colonel in charge of operations, he oversaw Indian forces in fighting that broke out between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, the territory claimed by both new nations.

With a military mustache guarding a genial face, he was known as a stern disciplinarian with a common touch. He once insisted on doing folk dances with his troops even though he had a sprained ankle. By the end of the night, the sprain had turned into a fracture.

He instilled a sense of duty, efficiency and professionalism in the Indian Army, and he taught officers to stand up to political masters and bureaucratic interference. His wit, sometimes bordering on sarcasm, did not go over well with many in power.

In 1961, he had a falling out with the defense minister, V. K. Krishna Menon. But by then a general, he was vindicated late the next year when Indian troops were overrun by Chinese forces that swept down from the Himalayas. Mr. Menon resigned and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who had been close to Mr. Menon, rushed General Manekshaw to the front. There he rallied the retreating Indian forces until a cease-fire was declared.

He became the eighth chief of the Indian Army in 1969, and in 1971 led India’s forces in the war with Pakistan that ended with the creation of Bangladesh from East Pakistan. According to articles published in Indian newspapers after his death, General Manekshaw firmly resisted demands by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the spring of 1971 for an immediate invasion of East Pakistan in support of rebels there. He insisted that a campaign be put off until after the monsoon season ended and the armed forces were better prepared.

Just before the conflict began that December, the prime minister asked him, “General, are you ready for the war?” He replied, “I’m always ready, sweetie.” Less than three weeks later, Pakistan was defeated.

General Manekshaw became a national hero and a household name after this triumph, and in 1973, two weeks before his retirement, he became India’s first field marshal. He had already received India’s highest civilian awards — Padma Bhushan in 1968 and Padma Vibhushan in 1972.

He was born into a Parsi family, his father a doctor, in Amritsar in Punjab on April 3, 1914.

He briefly pursued a degree in medicine and studied at Sherwood College, in Naini Tal, and Hindu Sabha College, in Amritsar, before joining the first class of the new Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun in 1934. It had been opened to train Indians for commissioned ranks in the British Indian Army. He was first attached to the Royal Scots regiment. He later joined a Ghurka regiment and wore the Ghurka cap even after becoming the army’s chief of staff.

He met Siloo Bode at a gathering in Lahore, in what is now Pakistan, in 1937, and they were married in 1939. She died in 2001. He is survived by his daughters, Maja Daruwala and Sherry Batliwala, and three grandchildren.

Like many officers of his generation, he had an affection for British military traditions. A 1971 article in The New York Times noted that upon waking at 5:30 every morning, he liked drinking a small glass of whiskey, listening to the BBC news and puttering in his garden before going to work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/world/asia/30manekshaw.html