80th NDA-THE SILVER JUBILEE REUNION

At the stroke of 1 am on 06 Jun 2016, the band stopped the music and the motley crowd settled around the sprawling tables inside the air conditioned hall of Novotel, Pune. Amongst the motley crowd, the men folk were dressed in a similar maroon tee-shirt. The motley character of the gathering was more attributable to the women folk as they held on to their men who were once again transported from a butterfly to a pupa. The wee hours of the morning began to roll as anecdotes flowed out and laughter went all around. Each face had a distinct cherubic look and the souls were at an eternal harmony. Welcome, the Silver Jubilee of the 80^th Course of the National Defence Academy had finally come to an end.

In the 1981 classic, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, Master of Caius, exhorted to the 1919 Cambridge University Freshman Class, “ I take the war list and I run down it, name after name, which I cannot read, and which we who are older than you cannot hear without emotion; names which will be only names to you, the new College, but which to us summon up face after face, full of honesty and goodness, zeal and vigor, and intellectual promise; the flower of a generation, the glory of England; and they died for England and all that England stands for. And now by tragic necessity their dreams have become yours. Let me exhort you: examine yourselves. Let each of you discover where your true chance of greatness lies. For their sakes, for the sake of your college and your country, seize this chance, rejoice in it, and let no power or persuasion deter you in your task.” These words can stand true for any institution of great repute.         

Words cannot bind humans but can exhort them to achieve greatness in whatever they do. National Defence Academy- The Maker of Men is a unique abode to young boys who enter its magnificent portals and turn out into Military leaders. The bond and camaraderie developed in the NDA has proven its worth over and over again. The values imbibed into the young men goes a long way as each one of them fans out into his Military Uniform to serve the Nation. Each NDA course is selected from a vast pool of boys who qualify after a grueling examination process combining various stages. The word COURSEMATES finds its true meaning as joint services ethos get ingrained into each NDA cadet during their military training. Cadets stay close together during various stages of training and inside the sprawling Campus of the NDA 18 Squadrons from Alpha to Romeo (A to R) house the cadets from the various courses running their respective training.        

This year it was the turn for the 80^th Course to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of its Passing Out from the NDA. The bonhomie needs a trigger and in 2015 itself, the ignited minds got around to work for the grand event. Ideas generated pace as each day inched closer towards the D-day. Soon enough the frenzy bugles were sounded and social media erupted with photographs of the yore and video messages scorched across screens. The theme “Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main” (I am coming) raised its banter and became the slogan for the Silver Jubilee celebrations. One after the other, the Cadets of yesteryears moved and conglomerated at Pune. They were not alone, they came with their better halves and children. The extravaganza began on the 03^rd of Jun 2016 as people met after 25 years and lesser. Pune again converted into a hot town as divas of the 80^th Course looked sizzling alongside their starry eyed husbands.

          

The visits to the NDA were coordinated to bring back the fond memories and gala events rocked the gang of 80^th NDA. Walking on the majestic pathways along with their better halves pumped up the adrenalin of the ex-Cadets. They reminisced their stay at the Academy. The stories of great traditions were told with renewed vigor and there was laughter all around. The glorious Military ceremony at The Hut of Remembrance (HoR) united the souls as winds of heaven danced around the gathering of somber humanity. Gentle but firm salutes were presented at the HoR to honor the ultimate sacrifice of the departed ex-NDAs.          

A much awaited visit to the respective Squadrons brought back the young man out of the SJ Course. Everyone did what he could do the best during his days at the Squadron. A movie ran right in front of the eyes as each one told his part of the story to his wide eyed family. The gala and laughter found abundance as the mystical Squadron environment added to the spirit of fervor and spirit-de-corps. It was one big family re-union as the squadron opened up its gates to children and ladies of the young men who had spent countless hours to shine the building and its floors. Academy was once again live and teary eyed boys moved about its premises remembering those glorious years that they had spent together.          

The gala SJ celebrations were completed with two amazing parties, one each by the NDA Pool Side and one at Novotel, Pune. These parties added fuel to the SJ’s fire. Raw talent matched experienced artists and the outcome was pure nostalgia. It seemed that the night would never end. No one was willing to move back and head home. The departure was sounded, but only after a pledge was taken to re-unite again and soon.

 As the plane rolled down the tarmac, I sat back and imagined what would I not be able to do if I am sent back to NDA again? The sheer nostalgia built up as the mind raced to scramble for the answers. In the end, I just concluded, even if it’s a risk at this age- it is worth the risk.  The words of Master of Caius came back,” Let me exhort you: examine yourselves. Let each of you discover where your true chance of greatness lies. For their sakes, for the sake of your college and your country, seize this chance, rejoice in it, and let no power or persuasion deter you in your task.” Would you take me back, once more, National Defence Academy- I would like to be re-born for you yet again!!!

THE JUGGLING NUMBERS

15^th Nov 1989, the day was set for a long haul. India was playing a rare test match at Pakistan’s soil. The tempers and challenges were running high. The pace battery of Pakistan was at its best and yet another stump was uprooted when the pace King Imran Khan struck at the woods. In came a 16 year old boy named Sachin Tendulkar. He was destined to be bloodied into a battle which he would partake again and again for a number of years. Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis came in to bowl at young Sachin and he took many a painful blows to score his 15 on that day. Soon enough, in the same tour, he scored his first 50 and went on to become a legend of the Indian Cricket as he piled up record number of runs. The numbers just kept on adding up as one after another the records were marked against his name.

Vostok 1 (was the first spaceflight of the Vostok Programme and the first manned spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA space capsule was launched on 12 April 1961 from Baikonur Cosmodrome with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, making him the first human to cross into the outer space. Yuri sat inside the capsule and the countdown to the take-off began. The countdown was in numbers as time ticked by to reach the zero second when the engines fired and the capsule took off against gravity. The orbital spaceflight consisted of a single orbit around Earth which skimmed the upper atmosphere at 169 kilometers (91 nautical miles) at its lowest point. The flight took 108 minutes from launch to landing. Yuri Gagarin parachuted to the ground separately from his capsule after ejecting at 7 km (23,000 ft) altitude. The numbers played a crucial role.

Numbers form an integral part of human existence. They are found in all arenas of human life and keep counting in positive or negative directions as humans move on with their lives. The relevance of numbers can never be underestimated. Humans start getting into the number game soon as they are born. They end up being either the first child or some number thereafter. In schools, the Roll Number takes charge and soon the numbers settle behind humans as their performance is gauged at various levels. Numbers are needed to seek admissions for higher courses in education. Post education, even the job search has its own numbers associated with the game. Salary is also numbered and along with it the temporary partners before the marriage also are numbered. Post marriage, humans again get into the game of numbers of various kinds and then set off into a life cycle where different numbers keep them on the path of existence.

The facets of human society hinges on numbers as they crisis cross the myriad challenges. Some humans get burdened with numbers while some play their best parts with numbers favoring them. Good numbers bring smiles and happiness. Bad numbers can lead to depleted souls. Who then defines the human life and its vagaries? Should humans keep the numbers as the guiding principles of their lives? Time also becomes an ever juggling number for the humans of today’s age as life unfolds its drama. Numbers seem to be getting better of the humans at each stage.

The chase for various kinds of numbers is unending and steep in nature. The demand for a new number leads humans to spend more of their crucial energy and mental faculties are constantly under strain.

Are the numbers too difficult to capture? Most humans have a tendency to depend upon other humans for their existence. They wait, watch, cajole, follow or lead other humans to be on the path of their existence. They get delayed majority of the times as the response of the partnering humans cannot be predicted. The response can be sluggish or fast, but, the chasing human has a lot of work to do in both the cases. The various numbers associated with the human life, therefore, start moving in unpredictable fashion and a life cycle begins. Depending upon the circumstances, the life cycle can be good or bad and then comes the famous quote, “Bad times do not last forever”. A number features again as times change and years fly by counting the human life.

Humans need to keep numbers in their conscious mind to keep pace with the ever changing scenarios. Age moves and the numbers move. At each stage, numbers demand humans to pre-empt the next evolving number. It is a random calculation and the numbers simply keep moving on silently but at a hectic pace. All that humans need to do is to keep watching the numbers carefully and keep moving with them. The effort should be to keep on syncing the various plans with the numbers.

What must have been in both Sachin Tendulkar and Yuri Gagarin’s minds as they both faced an unfamiliar situation for the very first time in their lives on their respective debuts? Training is a different ball game than the actual scenario. A great bowler coming into bowl at his best and to stamp his class all over the young man and a rocket ready to propel a man into outer space- the adrenalin rush would have been unimaginable. The bowler had numbered his steps and so was the countdown of the rocket’s take-off. Both Sachin and Yuri went on to achieve unique number of records in their respective lives. They had the courage and conviction to count their numbers well and the numbers just swelled in the positive direction. They both would remain icons for this World and continue to motivate countless number of humans!! The numbers just do not give up, isn’t it?

Human lives cannot operate without numbers. These are both finite versus infinite and predictable versus unpredictable in nature. Humans can catch up with some numbers and have the ability to control their lives to match up to many of the other numbers. It is for each human to decide where he or she wants to head for in their life. The plan can lead to a certainty of numbers and many issues can be closed properly with least of the adverse effects.

Silent numbers keep plodding their way up to various counts. Are you ready to match up to your numbers and scale up your lives, eh?

TAKE THAT CALL

The young archer bowed in front of his teacher’s idol and raised his bow for the aim. One after the other, the arrows left his bow as the string gave them momentum towards the intended target. His aim was perfect and all his shots hit the bull’s eye with great precision. His gaze froze at the target’s line and the arrows cut across the air to sizzle the target. The new master was emerging and had majored in his art. His teacher was merely an idol who had never given any course correction to his art.

Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed the Lunar Module on Moon’s surface on 20 Jul 1969. A debate raged for days together to decide who would step out on to the lunar surface first- Buzz or Neil. Neil Armstrong was the Commander of the Apollo-11 mission and Buzz Aldrin was the Lunar Module pilot. Should the Commander of the mission get sacrificed in case of an emergency or the Lunar Module Pilot? Their seating positions inside the Lunar Module decided the history’s turn that day!!!

The young archer was Eklavya. He was summoned by his virtual Master when he saw a dog’s mouth stuffed with arrows as Eklavya ’s practice got disturbed by the dog’s barking. He fired arrow after arrow and kept the dog’s mouth opened without any physical injuries to the dog. The Master and his stunned pupils examined the dog and realized that Eklavya had picked up his art merely by focusing on his Master’s idol and zeal to learn the art of archery. The master asked for his gift for training him with virtual presence and Eklavya willfully sacrificed his right thumb as per his Master’s diktat.

Eklavya could never shoot precisely fired arrows again and neither Buzz Aldrin could step out to the first man on Moon. Logic sometimes defies clarity. Had Eklavya refused that day or had Buzz Aldrin demanded to be the first man on lunar surface citing the vulnerable Commander’s position of Neil Armstrong? Who knows what history would have been? What is it that defies humans to take that call which can make the difference between achievements and the also ran?

In almost all lives, situations keep on emerging out of nowhere. Many of these situations rattle the motley humans and majority of them try to subvert or avoid the confrontations. This is the most likely reason for not being able to take that call and to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong. Coupled with the lack of the will power is also a sense of either gratitude or fear or lethargy or obedience or a combination of many such traits. It is a natural phenomenon to many humans to just give up when the odds are stacked against them. They merely raise their heads and immediately surrender when the situation appears to be big. Most of the times the fight is over even before the fight has begun.

What would have happened had Eklavya refused to the demand of his virtual master? The various options would have then raked the Master’s mind as his task of creating the best archer amongst his royal pupils would not have been accomplished. Maybe, Eklavya would have challenged the royalty at various occasions and emerged victorious or Eklavya might have been punished for his defiance. Both Eklavya and the Master would have weighed their respective options as moments ticked by them. Eklavya was alone in those moments and his call was to follow the Master’s demand. He willfully cut his right thumb and sacrificed his entire talent in that one moment. Why did he train so hard? Was he not confident about his art? Was he scared? Arjun would have still won the war even if he was the second best to Eklavya and if Eklavya would not have sided Arjun’s enemies. The Master could have easily guided Eklavya to remain neutral in case his services were sought during “Mahabharata”. Many such questions can now be posed to gauge the gravity of situation on Eklavya’s mind. The outcome of the entire episode was that Eklavya had taken a call which a student should take and provide a gift to his Master. The questions would continue to arise still!!

Buzz Aldrin could have staked his claim to step on the Lunar Surface when the craft touched down. The biggest stumbling block was the design of the craft wherein the door opened towards Neil Armstrong’s side. It was a design issue. Did the designers factor that Commander of the mission would be compromised in case of any emergency at the Lunar Surface? Who took that call to design such a door from where the Commander of the Mission only could come out easily and without damaging any equipment of the Lunar Module? Did Buzz think that there would be next missions wherein he would have been the natural choice to be the Mission Commander and would re-touch on the Lunar Surface? Or did he think that in case something went wrong, he would have the opportunity to retract safely to the mother ship?

The questions that history poses are difficult to answer many times and the mind can be sent into the tail spin. Debates and arguments rule the roost as humans sit down to dissect the decisions of the past. Do those decisions affect the present day humans? Aren’t many of the humans still doing a great injustice to their very own existence by not taking the right calls and not performing their assigned duties? What do they wait for as they let the issues struggle under them? The entire humanity suffers as many of us keep waiting for someone else to complete the task. Humans have a wonderful ability to let the chaos prevail and grow in each situation. Basically, this reflects the inability to take the initiative and seize the moment as it emerges. There are ample proofs in each situation analysis that the correct agents were available to diffuse the situation, but they did not react. The loss is of the entire humanity which faces the brunt of that particular situation.

This goes without saying that each human has the ability to take a positive call. The spheres are well defined wherein someone has to get up and face the wall. Scare should be met with dare and if the intention is positive then the public opinion should not matter. Stand up once and take the positive call- it would set the record straight for the entire life as human courage builds up with practice. So, go on and accept the life’s challenges with all the guts and achieve glory. Take that call as it matters only at that moment when the situation raises its head, a late response does not yield the best result.

Do not sacrifice your challenge if you can do better for this World. Future demands that humans take positive calls on the arenas of their lives and create better influences for whatever is left of this World.

Do you have it in you, eh??