The NDA experience...

It was a lazy cold mornin in Pune..That place somehow made me more lethargic than normal; made me feel like one who hadnt seen sleep in days and the last thing on my mind was to sacrifice the warmth of the bed for good. So it had been with great resolve that I had dragged myself out at half past six in the mornin.. That proved to be an ordeal with the me having gotten easily acquainted to the US general shift timings...

The chill of the shower pricked every patch of skin..and that wash got me out of the sandman's world at the very first touch...I wanted to slow the process as much as possible..delay activities to their limits...earn some more time...for what lay ahead dint interest me one bit...

As much as I respected my uncle's interest of showing off the pride of the Indian Armed Services, I was totally against the idea of making a place of education equivalent to a museum or a theme park..I pictured the scene of me in shorts, rushing through the hostel corridor to attend to early morning commitments, and accosted midway by a bunch of strangers staring into rooms and our personals, like we were show pieces trapped in cases..Thats why the idea of spending a sunday afternoon, in NDA totally dint amuse me..

Life takes time to give total control and a lil respect to you. Till then you are a mere puppet, ruled at day and tranforming into the ruler of your little world in the dark; lying mighty on the bed, and commanding respect from the creepy insects. I was the listener, and so I had sat quietly staring out of the window on our journey.

All through the trip , I could hear God talk about his numerous attempts as a young blood to get into the academy and be a part of the bunch that saves the country. He spoke of all the nights he and his likes had spent, discussing their dreams and all the days that they had spent in the physical training required for the entry. He had cleared the written twice I heard, but lost at the next level; Lost his dreams, given them all up to lead a mere mortal life, paying taxes and worrying about the rising prices and complaining about the little you could do to change the country, just like any other samaritan.

I respected the speaker then; for it was the voice of somebody who had atleast visioned a dream and worked for it at some point in their life.
And it was that dream that i saw him relive the minute we entered the NDA territory...Statements prodded visitors to know the amount of efforts put in by these soldiers at war..Asked us to remember the martyrs and the sacrifices needed for us to sleep cosy at home...

A spark lit at a lost corner....

The bright gold inscription of NDA welcomed us heartily into the vast bounds of the National Defence Academy...I had no words...The first stop was very aptly planned...the auditorium, for a screening of a movie on the NDA...45 minutes later, I repented having lived this long...For I had realised no purpose in life till date...I had had a glimpse of men, who at the prime had decided to do what they exaclty wanted to...Degrees to add to their list dint mean anything to these hearts that beat with a purpose to represent the country in all spheres...Its a different issue that they walked away with similar degrees too...

The movie had talked of the amount of discipline that is imbibed...the routine that becomes a way of life at one point...the amount of valor needed to stand physical exhaustion and not run away..It spoke of the warriors who had left the campus bounds and made the country talk of them....it dealt with a glimpse of their complete routine..through 3 years, 6 semesters of training in the lines of imprisonment..rigourous to its limits..

I couldnt think of one thing that they had missed out in their curriculum that bridged the need to make a perfect man..They had it all..So that when they passed out, they walked a level apart...
It was a humbling experience...it made me realise that grades wouldnt take us anywhere..that a 5digit pay wouldnt take us anywhere...for those who are and had at some point been here, lacked all that but had it all....

It made me sad for not being capable in some aspects, else I would've tried(explanations you might call..!!)...I could imagine the kind of bond that is built between souls that shared torture together..hearts that beat together, when running fully loaded in the lifeless country side that was the route of their 5day trek...muscles that wreathed in pain when jumping through barriers with guns that weighed more than what they could....The faces showed a oneness in them all...They had been through it all..and had been survivors....

I drove back in silence....an awakening...the rising that hurt..!!

Long live those men..!!!