Sam's Untold Stories

Apart from being the brilliant soldier who led India to its most famous military victory in the Bangladesh war in 1971, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was also a loving husband, an indulgent father, a doting grandfather, a gracious host and a caring friend

- Pooja Biraia Jaiswal

The year was 1969, the place was Calcutta, and the occasion was the marriage of actor Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan, Indian cricket captain and the nawab of Pataudi. As the wedding reception at the officer’s club in Fort William continued late into the evening, a huge mob started gathering outside. The high-profile interfaith marriage had led to communal polarisation in Bengal, and it soon became a major challenge to ensure safe passage for the couple. As tension continued to mount, a 1937 Austin Sheerline car arrived to pick up the newlyweds. It was sent by Sam Manekshaw, the general officer commanding-in-chief of the Army’s Eastern Command. In Calcutta those days, the Sheerline was as famous as Manekshaw and hence, enjoyed easy passage throughout the city. It perhaps saved the couple as they made their way out of the club. In his eagerness to help, Manekshaw prevented what could have been a massive tragedy that day. The fact that he loved Bollywood movies of the 1950s and 60s, too, helped.