The wonder years

It is over 30 years since I passed out of the National Defence Academy. The memories of those three years where they turn you from a boy ...

It is over 30 years since I passed out of the National Defence Academy. The memories of those three years where they turn you from a boy in shorts to a man who can lead men in battles are rough, tough and thoroughly satisfying 8211; the kind of satisfaction that needs to be experienced in order to be understood. Mixed with the hard training, ragging and punishments was a humour that only a cadet can enjoy. You remember that with nostalgia only when you are out of it.

From the day you join, the PT ustaads want to turn into a Tarzan. On the first day, after being made to sweat horribly, the ustaad shouted, 8220;Jumnajum ke paas fall in gayee.8221; We were totally immobilised since we didn8217;t know what to do. Seeing our inertia he yelled the same words again and charged away. It was only when we caught up with him that we realised that the order was, 8220;Gymnasium ke paas fall in GO8221;. After a few days we were told that we would be playing a game. It sounded like a wonderful break from the constant running, jumping, vaulting and climbing. But our happiness was short-lived. The game was called Four Touch8217;, which meant we had to touch four distant points and run back 8211; except for the first five, the others had to try again!

Not far behind the PT ustaads were the Drill Instructors. Ramrod straight, they would brook no nonsense whether on the Drill Square or off it. From them we learnt that you can turn only if you pivot on your heel and toes and you join your feet only by banging one next to the other. I still remember the day when the Drill Subedar Major Kanshi Ram a terror saw two cadets not marching with a squad. When he called out to them they ran into the Cadets Mess. The Subedar Major asked one of his Drill Instructors to run after them and get their names. The Instructor stood dutifully outside the Mess and wrote down the names of the first two cadets who came out! In the NDA it was said that if the drill staff was asked to check cadets for not having had a haircut you could rest assured that you would not be stopped even if you walked past them without your pants provided you had a regulation haircut 8211; of course we never tried it!

And how can I forget A K Sharma at the Equitation Lines 8211; the Horse Riding School for the uninitiated. We had just reached the stage where we sat on a horse and the horse would slowly trot. But the horses at the NDA are so well-trained that when the riding instructor gives an order, the horse automatically obeys without waiting for any indication from the novice sitting astride. So when we were sitting astride our horses walking at a leisurely pace, the instructor from the neighbouring batch shouted at his horses, 8220;Ride T-R-R-R-O-T.8221; Before you could say, 8220;Hoppalong Cassidy8221;, AK8217;s horse heard the command and started galloping. The next thing we saw was Sharma clinging to his horse8217;s neck and shouting, 8220;Not you dammit, not you8221;.

Who can forget the punishments. In our first term there used to be an announcement after lunch in the Squadron Lines, 8220;33rd Course fall in for punishment at 2.30.8221; It was like part of the syllabus. And in the first few months we never rode the bicycles issued to us 8211; we carried them above our heads and in squads. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were the cause of considerable misery to us. The NDA screened The Sandpiper. By the time the Academy finished front rolling till the Mess not by the shortest route as part of the punishment, we were certainly not groaning or moaning because of Dick and Liz.

We had our unforgettables in the classrooms too. Mr Keshwani from Pittsburg and his Jawa were inseparable, the Oxford educated N D Rao never forgot his 8220;nilly willy8221;, Mr Sawardekar would punctuate his lectures with cricketing similes and the Physics instructor no names would teach us how a telephone worked 8211; 8220;In a telephone there is a mouthpiece. In it there is a diaphragm and carbon particles. When you speak the diaphragm vibrates, then the carbon particles vibrate, then a hell of a lot of things happen and you hear the voice on the other side.8221; Brilliant 8211; simplicity personified.

Those were the unforgettable three years. Okay, we didn8217;t go to a regular college and possibly missed out on some fun times but given another chance I would still opt for the National Defence Academy. The Beatles sang Money Can8217;t Buy Me Love, but I would say 8220;Money Can8217;t Buy Me Those Years8221;.