Speaker / Gateway

The Club Meeting held on the 12th of January, 2016, is one that will surely stay back for a long time in the minds of all present. There were two very charismatic speakers instead of one, and they spoke of a man who defined the very essence of that word! It was indeed a pleasure to hear Brig. Behram M. Panthaki (Retd), author of ‘Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw – The Man and His Times’, along with his wife, Zenobia, address the Club on the life and times of the legend, Field Marshal Manekshaw. The charming army couple have dedicated the book to the men in uniform who laid down their lives defending our country and to their widows. A major portion of the royalty will be donated to the War Wounded Foundation of India and the War Widows Welfare Assn. of India. Ervad Brig. Behram Panthaki can be introduced as ‘a man who’s worn many hats’ – he is a priest, an author and has been a high-ranked Army officer, serving the nation for over 30 years and having earned 12 military honors. Along with his equally graceful better half, Zenobia, Brig. Panthaki had the entire audience in his spell as the couple shared entertaining and inspiring anecdotes of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.

Sam Manekshaw was well known for his honesty, uprightness, great sense of humor, and especially for keeping the politicians guessing and the bureaucrats on their toes! Above all, he was known for his military acumen, his moral courage that always caused him to speak up for what was right and expedient. For Sam, nationalism reigned supreme,” proudly proclaimed Brig. Panthaki, who served with Manekshaw’s staff from 1965-73, witnessing firsthand the events and decisions that impacted the geo-politics of India. Through his closeness to Sam, Brig. Behram Panthaki and his wife Zenobia, addressed the club on the life and times of the legend of the Indian Armed Forces, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, regaling the Rotarians with anecdotes that made us laugh, beam with pride, but mostly inspired us as both – individuals and Indians. Having earned 12 military honors over 30 years of service, Brig.

Panthaki was commissioned in 1964 serving with the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Gorkha Rifles. In 1994, he retired from the Army and joined his family in the US. He offers his service in Washington as a priest, where he performs religious ceremonies and endeavours towards making the Zoroastrian faith better understood. Continuing his talk on the Field Marshal, Brig. Panthaki said, “The welfare and respect of his troops was non-negotiable. Sam didn’t hesitate to tell off big political honchos at high-powered meetings if they were condescending towards his men, emphatically admonishing a Secretary saying that no officer of his would be spoken down to.”

“The welfare and preference of his men was his apex concern. Once, after having taken over as Chief, he received a proposal from the Ministry of Defence saying that in keeping with the national policy of prohibition, the army should discontinue the issue of free rum to troops deployed in snow-bound, high- “But he is best known for leading the army to victory in the 1970 war against Pakistan that saw the creation of the nation of Bangladesh. For the Gorkhas and for the Indian Army, the Field Marshal is their very own Sam Bahadur. He belonged to all soldiers, all officers and to all Indians. Even today he is a supersized hero that each one of us can claim part of!” saying so, Brig. Panthaki made way for his wife and co-author, Zenobia, who delighted the Rotarians with snippets that had us in splits! A thorough gentleman who knew how to charm and tease the ladies, she spoke of Manekshaw, “I was still not married when the war broke out in 1971 and Brig. Panthaki decided to join his battalion at the front. A few weeks later Sam called saying he was going to visit my boyfriend and if I had any parcel I wished to send him. And a few days later, I got another call with Sam saying, ‘I met the bugger, life in a desert in a trench is doing him a world of good – maybe we should leave him there forever!’

” Zenobia, an alumnus of Miranda House University of Delhi, started out her career at IBM, but after her marriage to Behram Panthaki (then the ADC to the Army Chief), dedicated her life in the army to the support and upliftment of women in the Army, accompanying her husband at all postings. She resumed her career in 1984 and joined the World Bank, where she is currently a consultant. She had us all laughing when she shared, “After the war was over, we got married in Bombay. Sam came to our wedding and just five minutes before I went on stage for the ceremony, he called me to his side and made me sit down next to him on the sofa, put his arm around me and said, ‘Are you sure you want to marry this fellow? You’ve got 5 minutes to change your mind! Don’t worry about all the people who have come here – knowing the Parsi habit of attending weddings only because of the caterer and not the bride or groom!”

“Sam’s concern for all his soldiers, officers and army wives was legendary. He would break protocol and personally go to the houses of wives whose husbands were deployed in some forward area, just to ensure that their houses were in ship-shape and their requirements were catered to.” She further shared, “Sam’s motto in life was ‘Always remain a lad at heart’ and he lived upto it. He went easy on junior officers for minor lapses. His wife Silloo, was solid as a rock by his side. Every time a batch of the wounded arrived, she would give a helping hand to the overstretched nursing staff, sit and talk to the soldiers, help them write letters home and send money orders for their families. Together, they raised Rs. 2.5 crores in cash and Rs. 5 crores in kind for the welfare of his men. In Sam’s very words, ‘my wife and I will go around with a begging bowl so that my soldiers and their wives never have to’.

” She concluded saying, “It is keeping this in mind that Behram and I decide to dedicate this book to the men and women who fight for our country. And especially to the widows whose sacrifice is bigger because the government doesn’t stand by the promises it makes.”