I was a young captain when I first met the legendary Field Marshal S.H.F.J Manekshaw (then a Lt Gen), who was then in charge of Eastern Command. He remained my inspiration from the first time I met him and this relationship continued till the end. Even during the Kargil operations, I was inspired by lessons learnt from him.

I recall the qualities of a great officer when he visited troops on the frontiers. He made it a point to shake hands with them and ask the welfare of their families. He had a jovial nature and greeted everyone with a smile.

One day he suddenly turned to me and asked to me follow him to the operations room. He stared into my eyes and asked me to relax. I remember, his eyes were sparkling. He then gave me a shock by asking for my ‘assessment’ of the eastern sector. I was taken aback by the fact that the army commander was asking the opinion of a young and inexperienced captain, but I gathered my nerves and gave him my honest opinion. I can never forget that he patted my back after the presentation and my chest swelled.

He maintained one-to-one relationships irrespective of rank, caste and creed. I particularly recall an incident after he had taken over as chief of army staff. I was waiting for his arrival at army headquarters. An old peon was at hand to usher him in. The general came and went straight over to the peon and inquired about the well-being of his family. He then took out a pack of cigarettes and placed it in the peon’s pocket.

It was surprising for me because Manekshaw never smoked. I asked some colleagues later and they said that he had known the peon for long and knew that he smoked. Therefore, he had especially bought a packet of cigarettes for him.

His dictum, which he shared with all of us was, “Don’t go for any major operation till you are fully prepared”, which he practised in the face of strong pressure in 1971 war, came in handy for me 28 years later as COAS. I also resisted all pressures and criticism and mounted attack during the Kargil operations only when we were completely prepared.

Though there were questions raised about the silence of the Indian army despite being aware of the presence of intruders, I took about six days to get my forces prepared for a major attack. We hit them hard, very hard and recaptured our land.

I also learnt from Sam to visit the forward areas during war to boost the morale of troops, and so I did during Kargil war. In fact, I fondly remember the day when Manekshaw visited my home during the Kargil operation to boost my morale. Though we did not discuss any strategy, his presence was enough to motivate me.

The very next day, the Field Marshal visited injured soldiers in hospital along with my wife. The soldiers were both moved and motivated. He was a great personality and the nation has lost one of its biggest heroes. For me it is also a personal loss.

The writer is former Chief of Army Staff (1997-2000)

(As told to Varun Chadha)