Sam Manekshaw, Former Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), also known as Sam Bahadur ("Sam the Brave"), was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of field marshal. His active military career spanned four decades and five wars, beginning with service in World War II.

Sam Manekshaw was born on 3 April 1914 in Amritsar, Punjab, to Hormizd Manekshaw (1871–1964), who was a doctor, and Hilla, Mehta (1885–1973). Both of his parents were Parsis who moved to Amritsar from the city of Valsad in the coastal Gujarat region. Manekshaw's parents had left Mumbai in 1903 for Lahore, where Hormizd had friends and where he was to begin practicing medicine.

Manekshaw married Siloo Bode on 22 April 1939 in Bombay. The couple had two daughters, Sherry and Maya (later Maja), born in 1940 and 1945 respectively. Sherry married Batliwala, and they have a daughter named Brandy. Maya was employed by British Airways as a stewardess and married Daruwala, a pilot. The latter couple have two sons named Raoul Sam and Jehan Sam.

Annually, on 16 December, Vijay Diwas is celebrated in memory of the victory achieved under Manekshaw's leadership in 1971. On 16 December 2008, a postage stamp depicting Manekshaw in his field marshal's uniform was released by then President Pratibha Patil. He was honored with the below medals.

• Padma Vibhushan
• Padma Bhushan
• General Service Medal 1947
• Poorvi Techstar
• Paschimi Star
• Raksha Medal Sangram
• Medal Sainya Seva
• Indian Independence Medal
• 25th Independence Anniversary Medal
• 20 Years Long Service Medal
• 9 Years Long Service Medal
• Military Cross (MC)
• 1939–45 Star
• Burma Star War Medal
• 1939–1945 India Service Medal
• Burma Gallantry Medal

Manekshaw retired from active service in 1973, however, Indian military five-star rank officers hold their rank for life and are considered to be serving officers until their deaths. As the Army Chief, Manekshaw?led the Indian Army to its momentous victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He was given the nickname 'Bahadur' by soldiers of the 8th Gorkha Rifles where he was reassigned after the Independence in 1947. In 1969, he assumed the role of Chief of the Army Staff, steering the Indian Army to unprecedented efficiency.?Soldiers of the 8th Gorkha Rifles, to which he was transferred following independence in 1947, gave him the nickname "Bahadur."?'Sam Bahadur' became his common name from that point on.

In her life, Meghna Gulzar has directed a film, Sam Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal as Manekshaw, which was released in theaters on 1 December 2023.