I met him as one of the graduating class of Diploma in Business Adminstration at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. He awarded the diplomas. His address to the students was sprikled with humor, candid observations about the state of the country and the society (1979). That was one of the rare occasions when I regretted having failed the medical exam for admission to the NDA. Field Marshal Maneckshaw's was an unforgettable personality and in those days the recollections of the decisive defeat of Pakistan in 1971 was still fresh in public memory. It lent an aura of greatness to his naturally awsome personality. One of the things he said was that, probably because of the immense popularity he had gained, Mrs. Gandhi asked him if he was thinking of taking over the government, and he told her not to worry, so long as she did her job, he would continue to do his. He was most critical of politicians in general and asked the fresh gradutes not to emulate them. He said that soldiers, on reentering civilian life were shocked and unhappy. If he met a retired jawan and asked him if all was well, the answer was "Nahin Saab, hum khush nahin hain!" He expressed great concern over declining moral standards and particularly the perfidy of the politicians. Unfortunately, he has left of Ariana vaijo and the conditions here are even worse than the ones he was commenting on in 1979 while addressing our class.
