Major General Sinha, born in Kolkata on January 28, 1926, had a distinguished military career starting with his education at the Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun. He was commissioned into the 15th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry in December 1943 and later served in the Parachute Regiment from 1945. He participated in the 1947-48 War and was involved in several significant military operations including the liberation of Goa in 1961 and the 1971 Indo-Pak War. His leadership roles included commanding the 82 Mountain Brigade, 51 Parachute Brigade, and 47 Infantry Brigade. Post-military service, he served as the Director of the United Service Institution of India from 1987 to 1996, where he contributed to the relocation and expansion of the institution's facilities. Major General Sinha passed away on January 26, 2002, and is survived by his two sons, both of whom also pursued military careers.

  Following the passing of Maj Gen Samir Sinha on January 26, 2002, Mrs. Krishna Sinha offered to donate Rs 1,00,000 to USI to establish an annual memorial lecture in his honor. The USI Council, recognizing Maj Gen Sinha's significant contributions to the Institution's development—including his roles as DGMT, Director, and a Council member—grtefully accepted the offer and decided to start the lecture series in 2003. The initial donation was received in January 2003, and an additional Rs 1,00,000 was generously contributed in April 2010 to make the lecture self-supporting. By December 31, 2010, the fund had grown to Rs 1,90,000. The subject and speaker for the lecture are selected by the Council at its annual meeting, with the lectures held each April and published in the Journal.

On 21 May 2024, 22nd Major General Samir Sinha Memorial Lecture on the topic ‘Jointmanship : The Way Ahead’ was delivered by General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) at USI.