THE greatest post-Independence victory in Bangladesh against Pakistan was still fresh in our minds when Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was invited by DAV College, Chandigarh, to preside over its annual function in 1973. As part of the teaching faculty, I was on the organising committee.Three days before the function, rehearsals began to accord him a hero’s welcome. Enthused, the Chandigarh Administration and the local armed forces took part in the exercise, including planning for a big escort of officers, motorcyclists and jeeps to get the chief guest from the airport to the college. The route was kept clear for the occasion. But just a day before the function, the news came in of his ‘famous’ interview in which he was asked about his decision to stay in India at the time of the Partition. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, the reporter asked: “What would have happened, sir, if you had gone to Pakistan?” Sam rose to the occasion and responsed: “India would have lost the war!”The bureaucracy did not appreciate this wit; the Chandigarh Administration did not participate in the function and the Government of India almost forgot about him. Even though Manekshaw confessed later that it was a bad joke, the remark remained in the memory of our sensitive politicians, and they failed to pay an appropriate tribute at the time of his death.With another colleague, I did a lot of research on the background, life and work of Manekshaw to prepare a draft of the citation that was to be presented to him by Justice Tek Chand, president of the managing committee of the college. In the draft, I referred to his daughters who were named after drinks! Since Justice Tek Chand was a prohibitionist, he ignored the reference while reading out the address. In his response, Manekshaw said: “To complete the record, the name of my daughters are…” He spelt out their names, much to the amusement of the audience. The next day, he went to MCM DAV College for Women to preside over the annual function. He presented awards to students and when the best NCC cadet came up to receive the award, she saluted him. He bent down and said: “You deserve this.” He kissed her on the cheek! This is in confirmation of Gen VP Malik’s reference to Manekshaw’s chivalry and romantic admiration of women. Of course, this sent out a wave of protest by some sections of society, but Manekshaw was a brave, loving, and warm-hearted hero of the country. His memory will never fade away, despite the humourless politicians and petty officials.