Whom else do you think they could have made Chief?

He was in his office at Fort William, Calcutta, when the news was conveyed to him by General Kumaramangalam. He hastened home and told Mrs. Manekshaw who happened, at that time, to be reading in bed. Without taking her eyes off the book she was reading, she muttered a brief ‘congratulations’. Irked, he asked her if that was the only reaction she could display. To which cam the classic retort : “Sam, whom else do you think they could have made Chief?”

By now, I’m sure you must have guessed who is being referred to above. Yes, it is the one and only Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. Recently I got hold of a book by Lt.Gen Depinder Singh on Sam. This is supposed to be a biography on Sam Bahadur, but after having read about a 100 odd pages, it looks more like a recount of the incidents, or rather encounters between the writer and the protagonist, sprinkled here and there with some major events in Sam’s life.
The most endearing trait of Sam’s personality was the ease with which he handled his jawans and the political leadership. It surely required guts and conviction for someone to confront the firebrand PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi .

His humorous side is more apparent to the people, as he was always seen joking around with everyone around at any event. His ready wit is a thing of folklore's. Some of his most famous quotes are as follows:
"Gentlemen, I have arrived and there will be no withdrawal without written orders and these orders shall never be issued" -During 1962 war, when he was sent to North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) to command retreating Indian forces against the Chinese force
"If anyone tells you he is never afraid, he is a liar or he is a Gurkha."- On the Gurkha Battalion of the Indian Army.
"I'm always ready, sweetie,"- 1971 war, on being asked by Indira Gandhi about the Indian Army's readiness.

I’ll probably have more to write when I complete the book. Till then Jai Hind!!