Ode to Sam Manekshaw

I was just reading about Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw who passed away yesterday. Primarily known as the mastermind behind the military operations that led to the creation of Bangladesh, the only country that can be said to be successfully 'liberated' by means of a military operation by another nation, post WWII.

This guy was a true leader -- dwarfing so many of today's 'leaders' -- There was a photograph in The Hindu which doesnt seem to be on their website -- where he is shown casually walking with his baton in military fatigues with hundreds of soldiers on either side sitting on the ground and looking up to him -- I think this may have been just post victory in Bangladesh...

Some points I am quoting from multiple articles in The Hindu of today :
* Born in 1914, he served in the British army in India and was even an instructor in the military training college in Quetta (Pakistan) before WWII
* In WWII he fought in the British Army in Burma against the Japanese in combat operations -- In one he took seven bullets in his stomach and his British CO thought he wasnt going to make it so took out the bravery medal/cross from his chest and stuck it on Manekshaw; since that medal couldnt be awarded posthumously.
* Manekshaw was involved in policing operations during the Partition; and also played a role in the several post independence wars with Pakistan which India won. OnePakistani military historian attributes the near-perfect war gaming models used by the Indian army to training by Manekshaw.
* Manekshaw was a flamboyant character who didnt think twice about being 'expressive' even to powerful politicians -- One spat caused the then Defense minister to sideline Manekshaw and promote some other guy; who eventually was in charge of military operations in the theater of war in the 1962 war with China; which India lost badly.
* In 1971 he was intensely pressured to start the military operations in B'desh asap because of the political situation -- But he backed his commanders and put in six months of preparation tactically working out eventualities ranging from monsoon timing as well the possibility of Chinese interference from the East.
* One anecdote is: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, lobbying for early operations in B'desh, asked Manekshaw "Are you ready" (for the war), to which he replied "Sweety, I am always ready!"; but stuck to his ground on timing. No one talked to Mrs. Gandhi that way! After he was ready, Defence Minister Jagjeevan Ram said to him "Sam, ab maan bhi jaao" when he relented.
* I guess the nature of the Pakistani occupation of B'desh was such that Manekshaw felt the need to do this: He adjured his troops not to in turn be rapacious in victory and told them to treat Pakistani women with due respect; and that if they have "negative urges" of any sort they must put their hands in their pockets and think of Sam Manekshaw!
* He coined the phrase : "If anyone tells you they're never afraid, either he's a liar or a Gurkha" -- he led the Gurkha regiment for some time.