I am sure my course mates will agree that after all these years, we still remember our stay at NDA, nostalgic memories those. That also reminds me of the kind of a ‘jinx’ attached to our course, we were the first batch of class XIIth pass students, and like all students who wished their studying career to end soon, I had opted for the ‘Arts’ stream, hoping to be a ‘BA’ and having a ball while at NDA, or so I thought. The initial three weeks of ‘arts’ classes were good with no carry home type assignments unlike our ‘science’ counterparts, & then it struck, like a lightening bolt from the sky. A decision was taken at the apex HQ that all of those who passed XIIth with PCM subjects, would compulsorily have to take the ‘science’ stream. The late decision of our esteemed HQ cost many of our first term course mates their career in the Armed forces as they decided if it was not ‘BSc’ they wouldn’t like to continue. I still remember one name, Nipun Sahni, who was second on the merit list but chose to quit before the three weeks were over, hope he must be doing well for himself in the civil. Anyway, just got carried away, so where was I, oh yes science was thrust upon us!! So all that fun we had studying the ‘arts’ subject vanished, and to add to the miseries, we were to have extra classes to ‘cover up’ the topics we had missed. And our first term finished with us trying to catch up with ‘science’.
The rest of the stay at the ‘Cradle of Leadership’ as NDA is rightly called, was akin to all other courses but it was the final term when the ‘jinx’ struck again. We were on the ‘lookout’ for a partner for the famous ‘NDA Ball’. I have now been told that it has now assumed gigantic proportions, with lots of gifts & moolah at stake and girls being invited for the ball from all over Pune including some airhostess academy. But it wasn’t so in those days. I met a few of the Pune college girls specially during the ‘Insynch’ festival, but the lady luck (now I understand why it is called ‘lady luck’) finally smiled when daughter of my dad’s colleague landed up in Symbiosis for her law course. So it was easier for me to get a partner & she managed a couple of her friends for a few of my course mates as well lest they would be ogling at ‘my girl’. Talking of Insynch, I must write here for those who are not familiar with Pune, it is the most popular college festival of Pune, hope it still is. I remember, our ACC (Academy Cadet Captain) did not become the Mr Insynch as was the tradition always with the previous courses, can’t blame him, the ‘jinx’ factor you see. All was going as per schedule and we even practiced a few dance steps. But on one fateful day, terror struck and the LTTE guys chose to blow up Rajiv Gandhi. Now how on earth would Rajiv getting killed have any relation with our jinx, he wasn’t even the PM at that time. But it had, our ‘NDA Ball’ was cancelled as a mark of respect to the departed soul of the ex PM. Now I have very high regards for Rajiv (infact I have such regards for all well educated politicians Manmohan, Chidambram & the likes) but cancelling the NDA Ball??? I cannot put down in words how we faced the Symbiosis girls after that so the story finished even before it commenced. And taking the cue from this cancellation, our squadron commanders and divisional commanders cancelled hosting the dinners which they used to do for the final termers. The ‘jinx’ had struck, big time!!!!! The graduation ceremony was good, & the chief guest was Manmohan Singh, a relatively unknown figure at that time, he was the chairman of UGC, I think, but shot to fame soon afterwards when he became the Finance Minister in the PV Narsimha Rao govt, (I hope I got the spelling right), and rest as they say is history. The pain of cancellation of the Ball was soon forgotten and we ‘passed out’ from the portals of NDA with the Chief of Army Staff Gen Rodrigues (of the first course NDA) being the chief guest. Nischal Sood was now armed with the BSc degree and ready for the Indian Military Academy.
The jinx continued in IMA as well…….
The rest of the stay at the ‘Cradle of Leadership’ as NDA is rightly called, was akin to all other courses but it was the final term when the ‘jinx’ struck again. We were on the ‘lookout’ for a partner for the famous ‘NDA Ball’. I have now been told that it has now assumed gigantic proportions, with lots of gifts & moolah at stake and girls being invited for the ball from all over Pune including some airhostess academy. But it wasn’t so in those days. I met a few of the Pune college girls specially during the ‘Insynch’ festival, but the lady luck (now I understand why it is called ‘lady luck’) finally smiled when daughter of my dad’s colleague landed up in Symbiosis for her law course. So it was easier for me to get a partner & she managed a couple of her friends for a few of my course mates as well lest they would be ogling at ‘my girl’. Talking of Insynch, I must write here for those who are not familiar with Pune, it is the most popular college festival of Pune, hope it still is. I remember, our ACC (Academy Cadet Captain) did not become the Mr Insynch as was the tradition always with the previous courses, can’t blame him, the ‘jinx’ factor you see. All was going as per schedule and we even practiced a few dance steps. But on one fateful day, terror struck and the LTTE guys chose to blow up Rajiv Gandhi. Now how on earth would Rajiv getting killed have any relation with our jinx, he wasn’t even the PM at that time. But it had, our ‘NDA Ball’ was cancelled as a mark of respect to the departed soul of the ex PM. Now I have very high regards for Rajiv (infact I have such regards for all well educated politicians Manmohan, Chidambram & the likes) but cancelling the NDA Ball??? I cannot put down in words how we faced the Symbiosis girls after that so the story finished even before it commenced. And taking the cue from this cancellation, our squadron commanders and divisional commanders cancelled hosting the dinners which they used to do for the final termers. The ‘jinx’ had struck, big time!!!!! The graduation ceremony was good, & the chief guest was Manmohan Singh, a relatively unknown figure at that time, he was the chairman of UGC, I think, but shot to fame soon afterwards when he became the Finance Minister in the PV Narsimha Rao govt, (I hope I got the spelling right), and rest as they say is history. The pain of cancellation of the Ball was soon forgotten and we ‘passed out’ from the portals of NDA with the Chief of Army Staff Gen Rodrigues (of the first course NDA) being the chief guest. Nischal Sood was now armed with the BSc degree and ready for the Indian Military Academy.
The jinx continued in IMA as well…….
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