Yugraj Singh, a student of Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management and a former NCC cadet is gearing up for a new life. A life of discipline, bound by duty to the nation. After clearing the Service Selection Board exam, he is all set to join the Indian Army by the end of this month.
He was one of the students to go on a Youth Exchange Programme in May to Kazakhstan.“People in Kazakhstan love watching Balika Vadhu . There it is aired in Russian,” he laughs. Singh owes all of these experiences and his selection in the Army to the extensive training given at NCC camps.
“Camps give you confidence, they teach you how to interact with people from different backgrounds. Apart from making you stronger physically, they also train you in group discussions and help build confidence,” he says.
Looking up to Singh are almost 600 cadets at the on-going Combined Annual Training Camp. The Department of Computer Science in Andhra University is bustling with activity. The educational institute is the venue for a 10-day that began on June 20. The camp follows the training module of the armed forces, just that the cadets here are younger and the intensity of the training is not as physically demanding.
“The 10-day camp focusses on giving cadets a glimpse of how wonderful and how tough military life is. It also aims at teaching them a way of life which is marked with discipline and team work,” says Colonel Amit Sharma, camp commandant.
The day begins at 5 am for the cadets with PT and drill. This is followed by a break for breakfast. The rest of the day is spent learning to assemble and disassemble rifles, reading maps using a compass and the tactics of field and battle craft with few coordinates. In the evening the cadets are kept engaged with group games like football and volleyball. This is done intentionally to imbibe team spirit in them.
“Apart from this, the camp also has classes on environmental science, Swachh Bharat and social responsibility. We try to groom them in all aspects of being a good citizen too,” says Col Sharma.
At the end of the camp, a cultural programme is held where cadets can showcase their talents in dramatics, singing and dance. The day at the camp ends with a movie screening; usually war or patriotic films are shown.
Donning the military uniform has been a dream that Dhanush Kumar has nurtured for long. “The best part about being in the NCC is that they carve out a different person from you. When compared to my civil friends, I am more disciplined. They also ingrain patriotism,” says Kumar.
Pritam Sharma and Eagala Sandhya also nurture the same dream. Their training with the NCC has made them consider the armed forces as a career option. “It is a completely different way of living. These camps help us make new friends and learn the importance of teamwork,” says Sandhya, a graduate student from Dr L Bullayya College. Speaking about the rise in the number of enrolments for NCC and the increased interest to get into the armed forces, Col Sharma says, “There is more awareness among people now about military life. Also, due to the Internet it has become easy to apply unlike earlier times when one had to wait months for the ad in the newspaper,” he says.
