Amritsar, June 27
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who was born on April 3, 1914, was the last Amritsar-born Parsi. Tehmi Bhandari, a Parsi woman who was Manekshaw’s childhood friend, had died on August 26, 2006, at the age of 101.

It was visionary Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was instrumental in bringing members of various communities such as Parsis and Marwaris to settle in Amritsar during his rule. Amritsar-born Parsis, whose unflinching courage, dogged determination and the zeal to excel earned them laurels in various fields, were known for their enterprise and Manekshaw’s family was no exception. However, with the passage of time, many Parsis facing serious demographic problems migrated to other places.

Field Marshal Manekshaw was born in Amritsar in 1914 at the house of Dr H.F.S. Maneckshaw. Sam Manekshaw, who had made Delhi his home, did his FA (second year) from Hindu Sabha College (Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was also the alumnus of the college). As per the official records, he joined the college on March 3, 1934, and left the institution in January 1935 to join the IMA. Earlier, he had completed his schooling from the local PBN School.

The city hosted a memorable reception when the Field Marshal visited the historic Ram Bagh here after scripting a histories win in the 1971 war. He also visited the “Sur Babu & Co” at Katra Ahluwalia, the chemist shop once owned by his father, who was a doctor. Nobody sits on the chair in the chemist shop where Dr Manekshaw used to sit before it was gifted to his assistant manager. The owner of the shop, recalled that Dr Manekshaw was a “man of word,” and disposed of his palatial bungalow on the Mall for Rs 1 lakh. Though Baiji (wife of Dr Manekshaw) got annoyed following the deal, Dr Manekshaw told her that he had already given his word. Not surprisingly, Dr Manekshaw’s son, Field Marshal Manekshaw, has had a special affection for the city.