Bhopal, July 5: A homage-cum-tribute ceremony was organised in the remembrance of late Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw, Padam Vibhushan, Padam Bhushan, Military Cross at the Somaiah Hall of 3 EME Centre, Bairagarh on Saturday.

The ceremony was attended by serving officers, retired officers, Junior Commissioned officers, Jawans and retired officers and by civilian dignitaries. There after religious teachers of all religions offered homage to Late Field Marshal. After this, Senior retired officers spoke words of tribute in memory of the late Field Marshal.

The last words of the tribute were spoken by the Chief of Staff Headquarters Sudarshan Chakra Corps by the Major General B Sivasanker, VSM. In the end two minutes silence was observed to pray for his departed soul. The function was another humble effort to remember the legendary late Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshas, Padam Vibhushan, Padam Bhushan, Military Cross.

Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, Padam Vibhushan, Military Cross passed away at the Military Hospital in Wellington in the wee hours of June 27, 2008 in the morning. Almost al his family members were at his bedside when the end came just past midnight. He was 94. He had been in Hospital for some time due to a progressive lung disease. He had developed Acute Bronchopneumonia with associated complications and his condition had been serious for the past four days. He was being treated in the intensive care unit of hospital.

Manekshaw was born on April 3, 1914 at Amritsar (Punjab). In his distinguished career, rose to be the Army Chief in 1969 and under his command, Indian Forces concluded a spectacular victorious campaign during Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

He was the first of only two Indian Military officers to hold the highest rank of Field Marshal of the Indian Army. After his schooling in Amritsar and Sherwood College, Nainital, joined the first batch of 40 cadets at Indian Military Academy, Dehradum on October 1932. He passed out of IMA in 1934 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Indian Army with commissioned officer number IC-0014.

Manekshaw's military career spanned four decades, from the British era and World War II, to the war against China and Pakistan after India's independence in 1947. During World War II, he was leading a counter-offensive against the invading Japanese Army in Burma. As he charged forward with his men, a Japanese soldier suddenly emerged from the bushes and fired at him, wounding him serious in the stomach. Major General DT Cowan spotted Manekshaw holding on to life and was aware of his valour in face of stiff resitance from the Japanese. Fearing the worst, Major General Cowan quickly pinned his own Military Cross ribbon on to Manekshaw saying "A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross".

Having recovered from those near-fatal wounds in Burma, Manekshaw went for a course at Staff College, Quetta and later also served there as an instructor before being sent to join 12 Frontier Force Rifles in Burma under General (later Field Marshal) Slim's 14th Army. He was sent as Staff Officer to General Daisy in Indo-China, where after the Japanese surrender, he helped rehabilitate over 10000 POWs.

He became the eighth Army Chief when he succeeded General Kumaramanglam on June 7 1969. For his distinguished service to the nation, the President of India awarded him a Padam Vibhushan in 1972 and conferred upon him the rank of Field Marshal on January 1, 1973. He became the first of the only two Indian Generals to be awarded this prestigious honour, the other being the late Field Marshal KM Cariappa.