Independence Day the NDA way

Location : Ground floor Central lobby, Juliet Squadron NDA Khadakwasla, 1800 hours 14 August 1984. The Cadet Sergeant Major (CSM)was presiding over the routine evening dressing down. It was a Tuesday, Cadets were in different attires based on their seniority profile,the second to fourth termers were in mufti, ready for the evening ante room session, fifth termers were still in gowns, sixth termers were huddled in the CSM’s cabin chatting away. “What is the day today?” Innocuous question thrown by CSM was responded to by the second termers in the Murga position, they croaked in unison, “14th Aug sir!”almost in chorus, eager to please him and earn some respite. “What is the significance of this day?”, this time one of the third termers pipped the others to the post, despite his Maharaja posture ( The Maharaja was a regal Yogic posture which Baba Ramdev ought to include in his repertoire, the forehead and the feet firmly on the mother earth with the torso in a perfect arch ….it brought us very close to divinity when practised regularly for a couple of hours daily). “Sir today is the independence day of Pakistan”, wow, “Well informed…so tomorrow is the Independence day and naturally it is a day for celebrations…….a day of liberation for everyone. So how do you guys want to celebrate?”…. “Mid term mood sir”.

Mid term mood in NDA parlance is a temporary respite, when the cadets are not put through the usual ordeal. A day when the juniors can let their hair down( they have none actually, the crew cut ensuring minimum follicles standing!) No punishments, no ragda …visits to the Gole market….bun samosa from the MH wet canteen, Hamsa’s bun samosas were divine…and so on, in other words for the duration of this mood ( which would be synchronized with the mood of the CSM) we were in heaven.

“Oh yes why not Mid term mood it shall be….but ” and a pregnant pause…keeping us all on our tenterhooks….”India had to struggle hard to win this freedom….so shall you all. After all if you haven’t earned it, you won’t value it, like most of our fellow citizens.” We knew what was coming…..early morning cross country run, OK, not bad, at least after that, the rest of the day would be free. Cross country practice would be over in an hour and a half, which would include to and fro the Glider dome and warming up, cooling down…all inclusive. Alas it wasn’t so simple.. “So in our Squadron we have a tradition of being liberated at the 2475! I am sure you all would like to maintain these age old traditions, which our forefathers have laid down.” “Yes sir” a loud chorus to reassure the CSM that our morale was sky high, before he changes his mind and the mood goes awry. So tomorrow morning 0600h 2475 it shall be…

2475 ft was one of the peaks of the small hills in Khadakwasla, why was it called 2475, no one knows, as the actual height was probably a couple of feet less. A run up to the peak and back was almost an hour and a half from our squadron. At 0600h, the second to fourth termers were asked to take off and wait at the base of the hillock. Once there, suddenly the Corporals emerged from nowhere, the CSM had apparently excused the rest, so we thought. Corporal then explained the modus operandi of the day’s climb, we had to front roll up the slope……??? Now this was turning out to be literally a bolt from the blue…a royal kick in the derriere provided the much needed booster …so began our very own freedom struggle, we the wretched second and third termers….the very lowly creatures in the food chain bore the brunt, all the while shouting “Bharat Mata ki jai” “Inquilab zindabad” ” Angrezo Bharat Chhodo”…. our heroic struggle carried on for more than two hours, by when the Sergeants made an appearance, not very satisfied with our efforts, they were unanimous that we did not deserve to be liberated as yet! So fire man lift was ordered, each of us was to lift another cadet on his shoulders and run up the hill. Nobody volunteered to be a casualty, as it was a greater punishment for the person being carried, with his family jewels being crushed on the shoulders of his worthy carrier.

But one thing NDA teaches us is ingenuity and so we were to take turns, the carrier became the carried for half the distance and switched roles thereafter. One of the Sergeants took pity and assembled us all and asked if we were tired of this fireman’s business, we again yelled “Yes sir..”..morale had to be high, come what may. Ok, he said, now we switch to “baby carry”, so the casualty was now a baby, who had to be carried in your arms… so it carried on till we finally did conquer 2475.

By then, the mid term mood had turned rather grim, the Josh had disappeared, what remained were lanky sweaty cadets with a look of total disgust, with no hope in hell. Finally we were asked to get up, a flag hoisting was carried out and National Anthem sung. Liberated we were…..

Original Comments:

Ajay Kaila (2020-08-09):
Lovely read….been through this madness.

Sheraz Varma (2020-08-09):
For an ending this grim, you told a tale with fervour and aplomb. I could visualise every moment and each part of my body undergoing treatment… Such was our tempering….after all, the Hanso Hattori is no ordinary sword … Very well composed Suyash

Unknown (2020-08-09):
very illustrative

Bisht (2020-08-09):
Hi Suyash this article was a treat.It kept me rivitted till the very end.I must say you are now an accomplish writer.Well done .Keep us posted with these anecdotes.
Birendra Bisht

Satish Mallik (2020-08-09):
Suyash, it’s as fresh in mind as if it happened yesterday. Together we fought for independence on a number of such occasions. I’m happy that our chat last evening triggered this blog. Superb writing!

Rakesh Nandan (2020-08-09):
Wonderful. Thanks for taking us through those unforgettable times. Keep writing

Col Jitendra Singh (2020-08-09):
Very refreshing post,taking back to memorable days of nda.very well narrated.

Shiv (2020-08-09):
Great read……as usual. Really admire your memory to recall so old incidents with so much clarity and details. Thanks for sharing

Anil Kumar F/70 (2020-08-09):
Hi! Suyash! You have once again very vividly recapitulated the nostalgic memories of the Academy Days. One still savours those not so Palatable moments after nearly Four Decades and enjoy sharing it with Gen next.

Unknown (2020-08-09):
Thank you sir. Due to your struggles for freedom the squadron attained independence in 1984 and we joined a free squadron in 1985 🙂

Sofie (2020-08-10):
Crazy! In retrospect, I do cherish our collective memories. But truly crazy!! Well done Suyash. That was like tonic early in the morning…

Akshaya Handa (2020-08-10):
Lovely commentary of some wonderful memories. Thanks for recording such nostalgically.

Vipul Segan (2020-08-10):
Very well captured Suyash.
At times it feels we have been through real tough times.

NK (2020-08-10):
Very nicely brought out Suyash. Very nostalgic. Brought back memories from NDA days. Thanks buddy.

Anil Raj (2020-08-10):
Great write up Suyash…Even after all these years, I am sure 2475 will never be liberated…and the battles continue…Thank you sir…for the memories…

Anonymous (2020-08-10):
Some tale, which can be whispered by Grandpa when his grand children are around. Such travails stretched each one of us to maximum limits, and, The bonding and friendship we all forged with our friends was lifelong. As always, Loved the narration, quite vivid, one could relive the moments, possibly we all share and easily connect with. Keep at it… and keep rolling..

Lt Col RK Gupta (2020-08-10):
Well, not much has changed from the mid seventies when we were cadets. Depending upon the squadron, such activities could turn sadistic to an extent. I wonder what the current 'traditions' are.

Jas (2020-08-10):
Very Vivid and still alive, firmly etched in memory 🙂

Shireesh Bhatia (2020-08-10):
The narration of the day refreshes memories

jasp (2020-08-10):
Much like in our times … looking back, all this was well worth it. Built the 43rd Echo that we value so highly!

jasp (2020-08-10):
built the 43rd Echo camraderie *

Col Romesh Kaul (2020-08-10):
Beautifully written piece, what with such emotion. Now looking back you can afford to smile and write off the pain, but then it seemed meaningless and nothing short of slavery of the worst kind. Nonetheless, our sweat during training saved lots of blood during ops. Jai Hind

raj (2020-08-10):
Wonderful narration.One life lesson which we all learned very early in NDA was that…" Life was never so bad that it can't become worse".Your stories make me nostalgic.

V Pramod Kumar (2020-08-10):
Well written Suyash. Interesting read. Enjoyed. Came after a long break. Keep writing.

Vivek Muthanna (2020-08-10):
In Aug'84,67th were 6th termers and we 68ers were 5th termers. I was ground floor sergeant in first rotation.i don't specifically recall this but there were many interesting times. Good read Suyash

Unknown (2020-08-10):
Hi Suyash, Very refreshing. Remembering such events of those times more than 35 years later and that too so very clearly as if it happened yesterday. Excellent narration…..

Anjan (2020-08-10):
Ugh. Sooner I forget these days the better

Raj Jagga (2020-08-10):
Very vivid… outstanding writing…

harimohan (2020-08-10):
great one Suyash. Pity we were gone by then

Patanjali (2020-08-10):
Thanks for bringing to life so vividly some of those 'not so very good days'( of which one had plenty during initial terms). Feels like it all happened like yesterday….

Ulhas Kirpekar (2020-08-10):
Super sir

Pani (2020-08-10):
Fabulous account of the gut-wrenching guys have been tasked to endure that holds them in good stead years thereafter. Kudos

Pani (2020-08-10):
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Ajay (2020-08-11):
Impressive as always. Enjoyed reading. Always a pleasure to go into the past.

Sunil V Damle (2020-08-11):
Enjoyed reading it, as always.

Samir Dhaga (2020-08-11):
Ha ha. Remember Kurgat sprinting up 2475 when lesser mortals like us were slogging at the base. Well written Suyash.

kamlesh (2020-08-11):
Wow Sir… another enjoyable reading..got to relive the NDA days

Random Thoughts… (2020-08-11):
Ooooo.. I could feel the pain, the sweat, the heavy breathing, the swearing under our breaths.. But then those were the days, and didn't they make us tough and resilient. .. Great read Suyash. At the cost of repetition, if I have earlier, salute to your memory. .

Shirin Deshpande (2020-08-12):
Superb write-up sir! Your words bring life back so vividly… Excellent!

vivek (2020-08-12):
Great Reading,
Luckily we were Gentlemen who got the freedom for free.

Prashant Oak (2020-08-14):
Transported back 38 years … Great narration. It always sounds as if this was yesterday….!!!! For us 2475 was the usual Battleground, just in our backyard..!!!

LoneWolf64 (2020-08-27):
Excellent write up sir. It is amazing how reliving those times can bring such pleasure now, while at that time it was anything but that. But then it was such things which made us what we are today. Cheers!!

Anonymous (2020-08-31):
Fantastic. Thanks for taking us back to nostalgic days. Wish every youngster of that age could get a taste of life at NDA – your article will definitely give them a feel. Sharing with my civilian friends .Keep them coming Suyash. Deepak Dhanda

army uncle (2023-08-15):
Nicely expressed

Sandeep Malik (2023-08-16):
A walk (or fireman lift) down (up) memory lane (2475). You have refreshed our memories rather vividly, Suyash. Kudos.

Anonymous (2023-08-22):
Sir, only you can have this subtle art of writing about the painful sessions; with words, weaving these into picnic like sojourn's. Once again, mind went back in time.

Anonymous (2023-08-25):
Reading your article, I could visualize the entire scene…only you could make the article sound so light…

Independence Day the NDA way

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