Rememberances and Movements

Before I begin to say anything, I am really surprised that its been a month since my last post! In some ways it seems longer than that, and in some ways, it feels it was way shorter than that. I will come to that later, but before that, I want to remember one of India's greatest sons - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who passed away at the Wellington Military Hospital in Tamil Nadu.

For those who believe in this nation's armed forces, and those who cherish its traditions and history will know of this man, who, even for me, seemed so immortal that I had hoped he just won't die, or rather, I just kept hoping God will keep pushing his death forward. Similar to my wishes for Lata ji and a few other people.

The General has left us a legacy, left us some of our finest moments in history, and I know that he is gone, but his legend will live. Newspapers and television stations have been running stories from his past, including his childhood, his life during the World Wars, but most particularly, his relations with the Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

The fact is that Sam Bahadur was not just our general during that time. He was a leader during the 1962 war as well, the war we fought with people who Nehru gave up the permanent seat in the UN for.

Nehru's foreign minister was Krishna Menon, and he was no friend of the General. The latter was thus not in the good books of Nehru as well because of Nehru's proximity to Menon. Thus, from being almost axed, he was sent to the frontier when the Chinese drones attacked. Thus the ceasefire was enforced.

Then India's preperations for the '71 war and all that happened before and after it should be essential reading for all of us. The General and Mrs. Gandhi was two of the biggest personalities ruling India at one single time. She even feared he would take over the country during the emergency.

We will mourn his death, but it will cease, but his actions and his life will inspire us forever.

It seems difficult for me to talk about anything else in this post, but the fact is that I have been traveling, moved to a new city, Kolkata, and gone back to college. Things will come my way in heavier and more difficult doses, but nobody said an MBA would be easy. I don't expect it to be. And that is why I said the one month seemed so long. But at the same time, I have also had fun, had some happy moments and some very relaxed moments. Maybe thats why it seems small.

So now I write from the East.