Sam and Substance

As a flight lieutenant’s wife I visited Field Marshal Maneckshaw’s home unannounced, unknown, uninvited.  In Wellington, 1985, I’d volunteered to help raise funds for the UNICEF. Sam Bahadur, as he was called, lived in nearby Kotagiri, so I thought I’d ask him for help.

One morning, after husband and son were packed off in their respective uniforms, I trekked down from Gorkha Hill till the bus-stop. None of the passengers in the bus could tell me where the field marshal lived, Forty minutes later, I got off at Kotagiri and enquired at a shop. The owner pointed way above us to a ridge on which stood a well-camouflaged building.

With a knapsack of UNICEF products upon my back, I was quarter way up the curved drive when a car stopped. The lady inside asked who I was and what I wanted, I told her.

“I’m Mrs. Maneckshaw”, she said. “Don’t let him frighten you, he’ll help”. I was puffing when I reached the ‘palace’. Friendly Labradors sniffed at my knees and dignified servants led me in.

“You took a bus and walked?” Then he ordered. “Sit down. Have something to drink”. I told him why I was there. He dictated a few names and numbers and that was it.

“Come, let me show you my house”, he said. Never before had I seen such elegant rooms, such exquisite curios. He showed me the lift that could carry warm food to the dining room from the kitchen below, the photographs of his family, his troops and mementos of wars. He told me stories about the items I showed an interest in. They reflected recent Indian history.

Time flew. My husband didn’t have a clue where I was, it was going to take me an hour and half to reach home. I had to leave immediately, I said so, and he must have recognized the panic in my voice.

“I’ll give you a lift”. He said, ignoring my protests.

He steered his little car up to our quarters.

“I haven’t been here before. Nice view”, he said as he opened the door for me, very graciously, very correctly. “Bye and all the best”. I’d been dropped home by the India’s only field marshal(then). It was only when he’d gone and I saw my husband’s expression(“You went where???”) that I realized how unusual my experience was.

UNICEF benefited by that visit: my products were sold.