Chest No 65 !! Came the call and I responded instantly with confident "Yes Sir" and walked past the Commander into the room to take my seat among the other guys selected at SSB 33. I was definitely expecting my number to be called out as otherwise I thought I would have been overqualified on similar lines as Abdul Kalam or Rahul Dravid :) I may seem to be boasting but that was what the circumstances seemed to be screaming out at me. I sat beside my close buddy TyagaRajan and we congratulated each other as we had "Screened In". We had cleared our first round at the selection and were among 30 others who got in from a total of 67. I was literally beaming with happiness and why not ? I was only a step away from my dream job !!
I always wanted to be an officer of the Indian Navy. It had a complete package of Discipline, Adventure, Physical fitness and most importantly lots of Respect. The memories of the 'Navy Day' celebrations where the men in uniform displayed their might (held yearly at RK Beach, Vizag) had etched permanently in my mind. The medals, the uniform, the courage, the thrills always had me craving to be a part of the Defence services. Having spent my childhood in Defence quarters and looking up to my father (retired as Lieutenant from the Indian Navy) as a constant source of inspiration, Navy was my obvious choice. My flirt with the Indian Navy started early and I wanted to pitch in with an Engineering course at National Defence Academy or National College of Engineering after my Intermediate. So much so that I had put my preparations for EAMCET (Entrance exam for private Engineering colleges) on a backseat, convinced that I had my destiny in the Armed Forces. But then counselling happened after EAMCET ( I had managed a decent rank ) and I had a Mechanical Engineering seat up for taking. Meanwhile I had cleared both the initial screening for NDA and NCE and was called for Interview and Physical tests. I consulted my dad and he did not want me leave the opportunity at hand. He wanted me to be better prepared for the Board Interview and the physical tasks and crack it in the first attempt as people attempting for the first time would be given preference.
I chased my aspirations while in college and I had been a part of the NCC (National Cadet Corps). Three years of training had given me a varied perception and outlook for the armed Forces. I was into Army wing and it was here that I learnt that defense was not all what it seemed from outside. I was mainly not convinced with the personal or social life of the soldiers. The rigors of work had made them tough both physically and from within. Solitary life had caused many vices to creep into their lives. Ruthless was the word I could attribute to many of the mentors. I always wanted my heart to be leading me in life and what I was witnessing was 'heartless'. But that is how soldiers are expected to be "Mentally tough and Physically strong". I learnt a lot in self dependence and discipline in the varied camps we had. I finished my course with an A grade and as a Senior Under Officer but with a little lessened passion.
I had on many instances innocently debated with my mom and dad - Is everything and everyone in defense the same ? and the reasoning at the end of the day was that it is you who define how you would shape yourself. I could look at my dad for that matter. He was into an entirely different 'class'. Moreover the life of the officers and the soldiers/sailors was not alike. The sailors had a lot of physical stress and were not paid well when in comparison with their efforts; whereas the Officers as they went up their ladder had more of mental work than physical and were paid handsomely (infact treated princely by the government). Then campus interviews happened in our final year and I was placed into TCS which was like 'another dream' come true. The IT boom and the craze for campus placements had me nurturing this second dream with a long term plan of Management.
Two years into IT industry, I was not liking much what I was doing and wanted a change. This was when my passion rekindled and I realized that I had my last few chances to give a go at the Defence services. I applied for the SSB interview for Engineering services and am here in Bhopal after hard fought 5 day leave with my manager. I had done a thorough preparation gathering enough material for the varied range of tests conducted. I also helped myself to a two month work out on physical fitness and jogging. En route Bhopal from Chennai, I was doing my last minute preparations (which I always do)
To Be Continued
