How situations affect your life
It was the last-to-last weekend, when i was going home(Delhi) by bus. I sat beside a person who looked young and better than other fellow passengers. We didn't talk to each other for quite some time. But when you are travelling alone, you don't have much to do and you chat with your fellow passengers. The same happened with me and we started talking. He was training in IMADehradun and going to his home Jaipur (coincidence !). He further told me he lived in MalviyaNagar (another coincidence !!). Of course, our houses didn't have to be same. So our chatting got noisier. we started comparing life in IIT and IMA. He told he was going on a reserved leave. He didn't tell me the reason that time. He e did his graduation in Electrical Engineering in JECRC, Jaipur. He worked in Infosys for two years. But that life didn't excite him and he went for Indian Military Academy, the life he found charming. It was nearly 2 1/2 months. I was surprised at it. Why would a person having a secured comfortable job in an IT major relinquish that life and go for a strict, discipline and demanding life. He said, its simply a matter of perception, how you take things. As far as I am concerned, army discipline is something not for me.
It was a long journey, or say was made longer by the traffic-jams which caused a delay of 3 hours. Meanwhile, he told me about his life in IMA. Their day started at 4 and had to be ready for daily parade at 4:15 sharp, fresh and bathed. Rolling, crocodile-jump, monkey-jump and what not, the punishments were taxing though they sounded humorous during conversation. He told me about Mussoorie Night where in the chilly winter night, they have to bring a bucket filled with tap-water and bath spoon-by-spoon watching the bright lights of mussoorie on hill-top.amazing !He told me they had to run 60 kms a day with 75 kg of load on their back. The most amazing thing he told me about his stay was that his waist -size reduced from 34 to 29 and lost weight from 90 kg to 60 kg in 2 months. They aren't allowed to go out of campus. Ragging - hitherto common word has a different aspect there. The officers if find GCs( Gentleman Cadet, as they are called) listening attentively to lectures, ask their seniors " kyabaat hai, inhe free kyo chhod rakha hai ?" and if they are found sleeping, they are punished as obvious. 'Double disadvantage' !!
Almost everyone of us would find life without a mobile impossible, but its strictly banned in their campus. No laptops, no music system above 10 W, which means you can only listen to radio. Of course, they have screening of movies, but you have to dress-up appropriately full with a suit and tie. Once you get in, you can't go out until the film has ended. No indiscipline (no talking) otherwise you have officers, who watch the movies from box, ready to ask you to roll between the seats. Its not all bad, he says. He learned swimming within a week. And was learning Horse-riding too. They have to compulsorily opt for sports as 'novices'. His seniors had asked him to reduce at least 4kg weight in order to go for under 56-category lightweight boxing.
Food- after the arduous work, anything you get to eat would be tasty but of course, they are provided with good food. But don't forget your manners even while eating. He told me about one incident when he took pudding in his plate by hands instead of using a spoon. A senior noticed it and asked him to sit beside him. he asked him to put pinch of salt in pudding and eat a nibble. Then add more salt and take another nibble and in this way he had to finish that pudding. After finishing his salty pudding, senior went asking him to take another pudding, this time no salt thankfully !
He got used to this life and had no plans for stopping in between his 18-month long training. But something else was destined. He developed a hairline fracture in his hand while playing volleyball. After a week-long gap, when he went again to play, he got hurt at the same place. Also he developed severe back pain. He went to the SHO where he was asked to leave as they thought, back pain was an excuse to get medical leave. Since, he couldn't continue with back pain, he decided to quit. it wasn't an easy decision for him, but he had no other option. Once you are out of IMA, there is no way of getting in except starting afresh. Also he had to pay Rs 1.5 lakh to IMA in order to relieve him. This was because of the cost incurred by government in training of cadets. Now he plans to go back to core electrical engineering or perhaps back to software development.
And that is why, with its secrets hidden, life is a journey everyone has to undertake ...
It was a long journey, or say was made longer by the traffic-jams which caused a delay of 3 hours. Meanwhile, he told me about his life in IMA. Their day started at 4 and had to be ready for daily parade at 4:15 sharp, fresh and bathed. Rolling, crocodile-jump, monkey-jump and what not, the punishments were taxing though they sounded humorous during conversation. He told me about Mussoorie Night where in the chilly winter night, they have to bring a bucket filled with tap-water and bath spoon-by-spoon watching the bright lights of mussoorie on hill-top.amazing !He told me they had to run 60 kms a day with 75 kg of load on their back. The most amazing thing he told me about his stay was that his waist -size reduced from 34 to 29 and lost weight from 90 kg to 60 kg in 2 months. They aren't allowed to go out of campus. Ragging - hitherto common word has a different aspect there. The officers if find GCs( Gentleman Cadet, as they are called) listening attentively to lectures, ask their seniors " kyabaat hai, inhe free kyo chhod rakha hai ?" and if they are found sleeping, they are punished as obvious. 'Double disadvantage' !!
Almost everyone of us would find life without a mobile impossible, but its strictly banned in their campus. No laptops, no music system above 10 W, which means you can only listen to radio. Of course, they have screening of movies, but you have to dress-up appropriately full with a suit and tie. Once you get in, you can't go out until the film has ended. No indiscipline (no talking) otherwise you have officers, who watch the movies from box, ready to ask you to roll between the seats. Its not all bad, he says. He learned swimming within a week. And was learning Horse-riding too. They have to compulsorily opt for sports as 'novices'. His seniors had asked him to reduce at least 4kg weight in order to go for under 56-category lightweight boxing.
Food- after the arduous work, anything you get to eat would be tasty but of course, they are provided with good food. But don't forget your manners even while eating. He told me about one incident when he took pudding in his plate by hands instead of using a spoon. A senior noticed it and asked him to sit beside him. he asked him to put pinch of salt in pudding and eat a nibble. Then add more salt and take another nibble and in this way he had to finish that pudding. After finishing his salty pudding, senior went asking him to take another pudding, this time no salt thankfully !
He got used to this life and had no plans for stopping in between his 18-month long training. But something else was destined. He developed a hairline fracture in his hand while playing volleyball. After a week-long gap, when he went again to play, he got hurt at the same place. Also he developed severe back pain. He went to the SHO where he was asked to leave as they thought, back pain was an excuse to get medical leave. Since, he couldn't continue with back pain, he decided to quit. it wasn't an easy decision for him, but he had no other option. Once you are out of IMA, there is no way of getting in except starting afresh. Also he had to pay Rs 1.5 lakh to IMA in order to relieve him. This was because of the cost incurred by government in training of cadets. Now he plans to go back to core electrical engineering or perhaps back to software development.
In life there are situations, you have little control and they change your routine life and make you take a new way. It may be for good or bad. But one thing that's for sure is, it happens to everyone somewhere in your life.
And that is why, with its secrets hidden, life is a journey everyone has to undertake ...
Nice stuff!
ReplyDeleteReally interesting. And sad for the young man; hope he's doing well now.
PS- I'd have a salty pudding for an extra pudding any day!