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Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw The Man and His Times Brigadier Behram M. Panthaki and Zenobia Panthaki (New Delhi: Niyogi Books, 2014)
This book by the husband and wife team provides a window into the personality of an officer and gentleman, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. Brigadier ® Behram Panthaki served as aDc to Sam and Behram and Zanobia had a life long association with Sam and his family. This gives the authors a unique vantage point, they have done an excellent job of introducing the readers to the human side of Sam.
Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw was the most popular soldier of India. He passed out from Indian Military academy (IMa) at Dehra Dun in 1934 and commissioned in elite 4th Battalion of 12th Frontier Force regiment (4/12 FFr). This battalion went through various reorganizations through its one hundred and fifty years history. It started as 4th Sikh local Infantry after the First Sikh War in 1846. In 1901, it became the 4th Sikh Infantry and in 1903 became 54th Sikhs. In the 1922 reorganization, it became 4th Battalion of 12th Frontier Force regiment and in 1947, on partition of India, the battalion was assigned to Pakistan and in the 1957 reorganization it became 6th Frontier Force (FF) regiment of the Pakistan army. The Battalion is nicknamed 'charwanjah' referring to its old number 54, it has the unique honor that an Indian and a Pakistani army chief belonged to this battalion. The eighth chief of army Staffof Indian army Sam Manekshaw (1969-1973) and fifteenth chief of army Staffof Pakistan army General ® raheel Sharif (2013- 2016)...