Manekshaw's birth anniversary to be celebrated

Marking the birth centenary of its first Field Marshal Sam Maneskshaw, the Army will hold year-long events to celebrate the occasion.
A number of events have been planned and they will start tomorrow in Ooty where a wreath will be laid on his memorial there, Army officials said.
Born on 3 April 1914, India's first Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw led the Army to a major victory in the 1971 war which led to the partition of Pakistan and birth of Bangladesh.
A military Cross awardee for his acts of gallantry during the World War I, Mankekshaw had served in British Army's Frontier Force regiment before being transferred to the panel of the 5th Royal Gorkha Rifles post independence.

The officer who could not get the command of a battalion, was appointed as a Brigadier in Punjab before being appointed the head of the Staff College in Wellington.
On 8th June 1969, Sam took over as the Chief of Army Staff from Gen P S Kumaramangalam, where apart from other contributions his finest hour was the surrender of the Pakistan Army in Dhaka in 1971.
In recognition of his service to the nation, he was created as the first "Field Marshal" in independent India on 1st January 1973.