Sam Manekshaw

First Field Marshal of the Indian Army

Born: 3rd April 1914, Amritsar

Died: 27th June 2008, Wellington, India

Field Marshal Sam, in army circles, must surely have been known for his decorative handwriting.

In 1984, when I wrote to the Field Marshal, I did not include a self-addressed stamped envelope as I normally did. Many dignitaries I had written to had replied in their own envelopes even when I had sent one. So why waste the 50p!

Field Marshal Manekshaw seems to have written the address on the envelope himself. The writing is the same as his signature, which now can be read as addressed to Miss A. Manay. When the letter was dropped into our letter box, my mom gave it back to the postman, saying that there was no one by the name at the address. She did not read the Field Marshal's fancy writing properly!

I had most probably forgotten about the reply that was due to me from the Field Marshal. After all, a reply was never guaranteed. Many days later, I got a long envelope, with no postage stamp on it. No one at home at ever seen anything like it before. It was from "The Returned Letter Office". We curiously opened the envelope, wondering what was inside. It was a a small white envelope... from the Field Marshal! And inside it was the letter I had written to him, carefully folded, and within which a small autographed card was found, almost concealed.

What had happened was this. As the letter had been refused by my mother, and as there was no sender's address on the envelope, the letter was directed to The Returned Letter Office of the Postal Department. Here, the envelope was opened. Inside, they found my letter to the Field Marshal that had my address on it. They thus deduced that the envelope was indeed for me, and they had it sent to me. Quite an impressive postal system!

May 1984

Two envelopes

(above) written by Field Marshal Manekshaw

(below) written by The Returned Letter Office

Aug 1997, Newspaper cutting