"This is a very private occasion but the Army has been kind to help us with the military ceremonial which my father always relished,” Maja Daruwalla, younger daughter of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was quoted as saying in The Pioneer of April 3, 2012 on the occasion of the laying of his gravestone at a special ceremony at the Parsi cemetery in Ootacumund, Nilgiris where he lies buried next to his wife Silloo. His gravestone bears the inscription "It Is A Life Well Lived,” while his wife’s reads "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds.” According to The Pioneer these words encapsulate their lives, well lived and spreading goodwill.
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw: grave error rectified
The ceremony, which was held on Manekshaw’s 98th birth anniversary, was attended by defence minister A. K. Antony, chief of army staff Gen V. K. Singh, his successor designate Lt Gen Bikram Singh and other top brass including officers from Manekshaw’s own Gorkha Brigade as well as from the two other defence services, thereby rectifying the grave error of not according appropriate protocol on June 27, 2008 when the old soldier faded away. Only a minister of state for defence had attended Manekshaw’s funeral with heads of the defence services conspicuous by their absence, though people had expected even the president and prime minister of the country to be present. After all, Manekshaw had been the architect of India’s first military victory in a thousand years, notes The Pioneer.
In its issue of April 4, 2012, Daily News and Analysis (DNA) recalled that in 1971 Manekshaw had told Indira Gandhi: "Prime Minister, if I go ahead with your plans and attack East Pakistan, I guarantee you a sure defeat.” A shocked Gandhi had responded, "Sam, do as you please. I want a victory.” That victory, after careful preparation, resulted in the birth of Bangladesh.
All this was soon forgotten and though Gandhi made Manekshaw India’s first Field Marshal in the face of political opposition, on his retirement the Government chose not to utilize his services. The government’s loss became the corporate world’s gain with Manekshaw being invited on the boards of several prestigious private companies. His charisma and gift of the gab had made him Sam "Bahadur” to his beloved Gorkhas who remained with him during all the years he spent in Coonoor post retirement, until the end.