As part of our annual work up and connected review by an outside team, my boys went through the paces of a physical proficiency test of the gruelling 2.5 km run within 11 minutes. They're good and showed their mettle making me feel proud of them.
The subsequent serial at the firing range brought me fond memories of my Weapon Training classes at the Academy. It was actually prodded by a statement made by the 'range GI' which was and I quote, 'you should grip the rifle in such a manner that when I were to pull it out of your hands, you should come alongwith it'.
Years back at one of the Weapon Training classes, when your's truly was a cadet at the NDA, the instructor, Naik Gurung, was going through the finishing touches of the way the class was going to react during the impending visit of the Commandant. I was quite cut up because my instructor wanted me to give the first answer and that too a wrong one at that!
The Commandant and his entourage came in and Naik Gurung, in a high pitched tone asked the thundering question, 'theen man trench mein kitne admi hote hain? Cadet Rajbir(wonder why he always called me so instead of Rajeev)....? I sprung up like a jack-in-the-box and uttered idiotically, 'ek' to which the instructor's retort was 'galat'. Surinder Bal's turn was next, as rehearsed earlier, and to his answer 'do' the instructor's retort was 'thakreeban theek' and finally, Chandreshwar's answer of 'theen' elicited a delightful 'durust' from the instructor.
I'd always wonder subsequently as to why the Commandant did not have me rusticated/withdrawn from the Academy for being an imbecile and a cretin in saying it was 'ek' admi in a 'theen man trench'!!
But jokes apart, such experiences made one handle arms and ammuntion with respect and care, as they deserve to be, to avoid any form of catastrophe!
The subsequent serial at the firing range brought me fond memories of my Weapon Training classes at the Academy. It was actually prodded by a statement made by the 'range GI' which was and I quote, 'you should grip the rifle in such a manner that when I were to pull it out of your hands, you should come alongwith it'.
Years back at one of the Weapon Training classes, when your's truly was a cadet at the NDA, the instructor, Naik Gurung, was going through the finishing touches of the way the class was going to react during the impending visit of the Commandant. I was quite cut up because my instructor wanted me to give the first answer and that too a wrong one at that!
The Commandant and his entourage came in and Naik Gurung, in a high pitched tone asked the thundering question, 'theen man trench mein kitne admi hote hain? Cadet Rajbir(wonder why he always called me so instead of Rajeev)....? I sprung up like a jack-in-the-box and uttered idiotically, 'ek' to which the instructor's retort was 'galat'. Surinder Bal's turn was next, as rehearsed earlier, and to his answer 'do' the instructor's retort was 'thakreeban theek' and finally, Chandreshwar's answer of 'theen' elicited a delightful 'durust' from the instructor.
I'd always wonder subsequently as to why the Commandant did not have me rusticated/withdrawn from the Academy for being an imbecile and a cretin in saying it was 'ek' admi in a 'theen man trench'!!
But jokes apart, such experiences made one handle arms and ammuntion with respect and care, as they deserve to be, to avoid any form of catastrophe!
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