Clubbing Delights

When I joined NDA I was prepared for a tough regimented life with no time for any other activity. So, I was pleasantly surprised when in first term we were asked to choose a club to join.

I never expected NDA to allow us to go to clubs, being a fauji kid clubs had been a part of my growing up, and here again I was getting an option to join a club..... That’s what I joined fauj for..... Party Time... Ya ya

The story of a few camps and many cramps : an account of training camps at NDA

1992

No story of any academy is ever complete without going through the camps that are designed to toughen up a cadet to the levels required by a soldier to survive the vagaries of the battlefield. Waise that can also be done by getting them all married, as an after effect of which they would prefer the battlefield any time, survive they will somehow.

All cadets go through a series of camps designed to train them for specific terrain, operations and weather........ Ok.... This is getting all to technical....... Camp matlab a test of your physical and mental endurance. These are organised once in every two terms.

Each camp requires a cadet to prepare himself adequately to be able go through it without any incident. The strength of the bond between course mates is decided during these outings and the real character of each cadet is fully exposed.

The beginning - joining NDA

Prelude

I know you all must be thinking "why has he not started his blog with this, why now'..... Because I am like that only..... Confused, just like I was in my 12th and college. College!! Well yes, I was in final year of BSc when I joined NDA.

Till 12th I aimed to become a doctor, thought of becoming a biologist, practiced electronics and dreamt of flying. My confusion ensured that i did not clear the medical entrance and had to join college in Shillong. My father was posted to Eastern Air Command.. The session for 1st year there ended in December and the 2nd year started in Feb, BSc was of 2 years only. so by default i reached final year within 6 months.

Horsing around - a tale of equestrian delights

 Author : Salil Prashar


NDA boasts of adventure sports/ sports facilities which would put any institution in the world to shame, like equestrian, water sports, flying etc. For similar facilities people in the civil world have to pay through their nose, but in NDA they are free of cost and compulsory to boot.

Thum khali ek do - Drill ki kahani

 Author : Salil Prashar

'Thum khali ek do'

Anyone who has gone in through the portals of any academy of any service is automatically transported back to those days on hearing this command.

Drill is a ritual which is blended by the academy into our fauji fibre..... The technique of blending is varied but follows the simple principle of "atomic restructuring using variable stress technology"..... Yani ki..... Boot. Boot sirf pehan ne ke liye hi nahi istemal hota, when planted properly it can be used to reorient your molecular structure. During drill if your boot is missing or its  'nail and naal' (nail here means nail and naal means more nails and not the punjabi wala naal) is missing you get a boot in the drill square from Drill Ustad.

NDA ki Hockey dastan

 Author : Salil Prashar

20/10/2017

NDA mein hamare national game ko bahut mehtava diya jaata hai, at least India mein yeh ek jagah hai jahan hockey rag rag mein basi huee hai...... Hockey ka istemal yahan khelne ke sath sath aur bahut activities mein hota tha..... aap samajh hi gaye honge, kyonki samajhdar ko ishara kaafi hai.

Hockey ki har squadron mein 6 teams (strings kehte the) hoti thee, 1st string ki team mein sabse top ke player hote thay, 2nd string mein uss se thode kam acche, so on and so forth till 5th string team....

My boxing saga

Author : Salil Prashar

04/10/2017

My boxing saga...... Yeh kahani satya ghatnaon par aadharit hai

Ok, so at the outset let me clarify that all characters in this story are real and not imagined including me.

I was a wonderful boxer since my school days, i had been constantly sparring with my weight, was always in a slugfest with my studies, usually KOed by my teachers and was constantly moving and blocking any attempt to physicalise me...... In cricket i was the umpire, in football i was the goalie and in athletics I was nowhere to be seen.

With such fine physical traits I joined the NDA...... Ab okhali mein sar day diya toh phir moosal se kya darna...... Jisne bhi yeh kaha woh sala NDA ki okhali mein nahi jhanka..?

The travails of x-country running at NDA

Author : Salil Prashar

12/10/2017

I was my squadrons most dependable runner..... no one can maintain a x-country running graph as flat as I could

I think a prelude is in order before I let loose.

The physical training or PT that i had done in school was restricted to standing in vishram and stretching the arms up and down with the beat of the drums, aur uss se bhi kayee bar hath mein sprain padh jata tha. Running was restricted to the sprint (if you can call it that) to exit the school as soon as the school closing gong was sounded.
     

I once took part in Shot Put throw and managed to throw it 2 mtrs and explained to the PT teacher that I had mistaken Shot Put as Short Put. I still remember the force he Put in his Short on my cheeks and that was the end of my athletic career.

Salil's Day 3 at the Gym

Author : Salil Prashar

14/08/2017

Day 3 ?.... What happened to day 2

Yar yeh Doklam standoff ke karan thoda busy ho gaya tha issi liye yeh Gym Shym nahi jaa paya...... After all Nation comes first...

Now let’s leave this day 2 where it was, whats a day between friends

Ok, now, the alarm went off on day 3 and i helped it go *OFF immediately*, but i forgot ki 'alarm toh OFF ho jayega lekin biwi ON ho jayegi'......

Salil's Day 1 at the Gym

Author : Salil Prashar


Today after a hiatus of god knows how many days i finally joined a gym. I was putting off joining by reasoning that I required a break after my retirement, not that I had ever gone to any gym for the last many years........ But then what do these civilians know.

On entered the gym i was cornered by the owner and his first question was " what is your target?"

I was like... Target!! ..... Was his vision cataracted..... Couldn't he see my re-tyred body.... Anyways..... I pointed to the obvious and laid it out to him nice and simple.....

Salil's review of star plus serial "diya aur baati"

IPS offr sandhya rathi beats off two terrorists and hangs on to a nuclear missile being carried under-slung by a helicopter. 

She climbs a rope with a mix of 1st and 2nd class style, gets into the chopper kills the terrorist boss, then gets out of the chopper and re-enters the pilots cabin and kicks him out.

Only 15 mins are left on the timer of the nuclear missile.

She then starts flying the heptr, lekin safety first..... so she spends almost 3 mins in wearing the seatbelt.