Puneet's Page

Here's how the Nation behaved, when Sam Bahadur, the celebrated General, the brain behind India's only decisive millitary victory, and the only Indian Army Officer to be appointed Field Marshal while still in active service - truly one of the World's greatest millitary heros, passed away in June last year. If you want to get a taste of how India's civil society can display its incivility, check out who all were present to pay their last repects to the departed soldier, when the guns were fired in salute during the funeral ceremony on June 27, 2008: Pratibha Patil, President of India and Commander in Chief of the armed forces - absent. Hamid Ansari - Vice President of India - absent. Dr. Manohan Singh - Prime Minister of India - absent. Sonia Gandhi - daughter in law of Indira Gandhi the Prime Minister with whom Sam closely interacted during the 1971 crisis - absent. LK Advani - Leader of the Opposition and an aspirant to the Prime Minister's position - absent M/ K

Sam was born in 1914, in Amritsar. He was selected for the first course of the new instituted 'Indian Millitary Academy' He was commissioned into the 12th, Frontier Force Regiment, commonly called the 54th Sikhs. He saw action in the Second World War, and in 1942 was gravely injured in action - a much publicised event - when seven bullets from a Japanese machine gun whipped through his body. Sam survived and went on to become argueably the most celebrated General not only in India but across the Globe. He rose through the millitary hierarchy through rapid promotions and held key assignments from the Director - Millitary Operations (during the crucial Kashmir Operations of 1948), then Commandant of the Defence Services Staff College. He then took over 4 Corps as GOC-in-C, just at the close of the Chinese hostilities of 1962. Sam's first meeting with the senior officers of 4 Corps is legendary, just as it was typical of his personality. 4 Corps at that juncture was a comp