My Alma Mater

Hello everyone. I am an Alumnus of the National defence Academy, that great Inter Services Institution, and popularly known as the cradle for Leadership for the Armed Forces of our country.Let me tell you about two activities that were part of our training at the National Defence Academy Khadakwasla and how they have shaped me become a better person today. The first one was called “Cabin Cupboard” which was an inspection of our Cabin and our Cupboard where we kept our uniforms and clothes / equipment. This was done almost every week by our superior officers and even by our seniors. We hated it then but it definitely made us more organised in life. The other one was called Kit Muster in which we had to lay out our entire kit in an organised manner within minutes to our superiors when asked. This was more of a punishment and usually happened without warning. While this was even more dreaded, it taught us to keep our things in an organised manner, remember where we kept them, retrieve them at short notice and also look after what we were given as part of our equipment. Certainly can’t thank my Alma Mater enough for having made me what I am today.

Let me also narrate to you an instance of my initiation into the Army as an Officer in the Corps of Engineers when I joined the Regiment on my first posting. I joined my Regiment as a Lieutenant in July 1982 and after a couple of days of introductions (not Induction like the Industry), me and another new subaltern were straightaway inducted into the team to participate in the inter battalion Obstacle Course competition where we were pitted against some of the toughest troops of the Indian Army. What followed was two weeks of rigorous practice in the Obstacle course that included a 5 mile run followed by about 15 obstacles like low wire entanglement, Monkey rope, Burma Bridge among others. Needless to say, it was an excruciating experience in which we put our heart and soul resulting in our winning the competition. Moral of the story – nothing is impossible if you believe you can do it.