I'm tempted to let you into this one incident from my Academy days, since I'm at it.
I don't recall the exact timeline but it was during one of my junior terms, perhaps in the second or the third term. Those days, the Academy's cadet appointments used to insist upon us to double, nay sprint, in small squads of 6 to 8 cadets towards the auditorium for watching the movies - English movies on Saturdays and Hindi movies on Sundays. I don't think that I ever missed out on the evening movie bonanza during the weekends!
On this particular occasion, my course mate, squadron mate and friend, Chandu Sharma and I decided to avoid the 'mad charge' and opted for taking a short cut - a misnomer in the real sense, because it was circuitous and entailed passing through fairly thick foliage towards the end but deposited us smack at the left entrance of the auditorium.
Chandu and me had heard about 'timing' being an important aspect in life but didn't expect it to happen at such an inappropriate moment. N/Sub Bhoop Singh - yes, the same drill ustad of the Charlie Squadron - happened to be at that vantage(?) point, on duty, to apprehend misguided youngsters like us who dared to take that short cut! After giving away our names and numbers, we made a dash into the hall not wanting to miss any part of the movie, including the initial advertisements!
Retribution came in swiftly, a couple of days after. We're arraigned in front of our Squadron Commander, this time and he was eagerly awaiting our explanation to the charge endorsed against our names, 'Taking long short cut'. And when I was finished with mine, he let go off a loud guffaw and couldn't stop his laughter for quite a while!
We're surprised to hear him say, "I'm leaving you this time as you guys have made my day". We could hear his laughter as we rushed to the mess to save whatever was left of the 'breakfast time'.
Tailpiece.
(a) What N/Sub Bhoop Singh had transcribed was a hard fact. It's a short cut that was long and he'd recorded it in his inimitable way!
(b) The drill ustads' drafting of charges were used by the cadets to further their cause at humour. I'm quoting an oft repeated yarn about one such ustad who seems to have told the cadets, who're standing at the shade on the far side of the 'drill square' as they'd been excused drill on medical grounds and I quote, "Those cadets understanding the tree, making loose motions meet me after the Sudan Block behind the 7th period".
Legend. (i) Sudan Block - the main administrative block of the NDA.
(ii) The end of the 7th period marked the beginning of the lunch hour.
(iii) The jury is still out on establishing whether it's a yarn, courtesy the fertile minds of the cadets or
an actual order passed by one among the famed dedicated ustads who gave the all important
'halo' to the immaculate Academy Drill Square!
I don't recall the exact timeline but it was during one of my junior terms, perhaps in the second or the third term. Those days, the Academy's cadet appointments used to insist upon us to double, nay sprint, in small squads of 6 to 8 cadets towards the auditorium for watching the movies - English movies on Saturdays and Hindi movies on Sundays. I don't think that I ever missed out on the evening movie bonanza during the weekends!
On this particular occasion, my course mate, squadron mate and friend, Chandu Sharma and I decided to avoid the 'mad charge' and opted for taking a short cut - a misnomer in the real sense, because it was circuitous and entailed passing through fairly thick foliage towards the end but deposited us smack at the left entrance of the auditorium.
Chandu and me had heard about 'timing' being an important aspect in life but didn't expect it to happen at such an inappropriate moment. N/Sub Bhoop Singh - yes, the same drill ustad of the Charlie Squadron - happened to be at that vantage(?) point, on duty, to apprehend misguided youngsters like us who dared to take that short cut! After giving away our names and numbers, we made a dash into the hall not wanting to miss any part of the movie, including the initial advertisements!
Retribution came in swiftly, a couple of days after. We're arraigned in front of our Squadron Commander, this time and he was eagerly awaiting our explanation to the charge endorsed against our names, 'Taking long short cut'. And when I was finished with mine, he let go off a loud guffaw and couldn't stop his laughter for quite a while!
We're surprised to hear him say, "I'm leaving you this time as you guys have made my day". We could hear his laughter as we rushed to the mess to save whatever was left of the 'breakfast time'.
Tailpiece.
(a) What N/Sub Bhoop Singh had transcribed was a hard fact. It's a short cut that was long and he'd recorded it in his inimitable way!
(b) The drill ustads' drafting of charges were used by the cadets to further their cause at humour. I'm quoting an oft repeated yarn about one such ustad who seems to have told the cadets, who're standing at the shade on the far side of the 'drill square' as they'd been excused drill on medical grounds and I quote, "Those cadets understanding the tree, making loose motions meet me after the Sudan Block behind the 7th period".
Legend. (i) Sudan Block - the main administrative block of the NDA.
(ii) The end of the 7th period marked the beginning of the lunch hour.
(iii) The jury is still out on establishing whether it's a yarn, courtesy the fertile minds of the cadets or
an actual order passed by one among the famed dedicated ustads who gave the all important
'halo' to the immaculate Academy Drill Square!
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