Once again into the breech dear friends. This Shakespeare line is what comes to my mind when I think of my times two years back when I came to Mussoorie to join the ITBP Academy. And this time, it's the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBS NAA). In a way its the palace to be situated at the heart of the Queen of the hills. And the adrenaline of about 360 Officer Trainees (OTs) met the reality on this 7th Sep'15 when they poured in from every nook and corner of the country to join the 90th Foundation Course.
After the smooth and streamlined completion of the joining formalities, the OTs settled down into the various hostels in the campus area viz. Ganga, Narmada and Kaveri. And a bunch of chosen ones were catapulted out of the academy into the woods. Silver woods to be precise. An almost 3-star a facility to be more precise. But as they say luxury comes at a cost. The cost of trekking up and down the curvy track to go inside the academy for the daily sessions, the really long walk to the Polo grounds at 5 in the freaking morning and embrace yourself for the most difficult one- Going back one more time dressed in formal to eat the oh so delicious mess dinner. That's a lot of cost I would say.
Among the vary many OTs in Silver Woods, some have made peace with it. Some have decided to dine at the prestigious Ganga Dhaba instead. But there is this one OT named Manjhi who just cannot take it anymore. His heart bleeds at the sight of tired OTs gasping for breath especially at this giant steep uphill road just beneath Silver Woods when they return from the PT in the morning. His heart bleeds some more when he sees that many OTs skip dinner just because the effort is not worth it. When he asked one of his fellow OT how he felt about it the guy replied "PT से डर नहीं लगता साहेब, वापस Silver Woods जाने में लगता है!"
Manjhi right from the first day opposed his allotment to the Silver Woods hostel outside the campus. He felt they have made him the outcast. But then what option did he have with him. He also was on the verge of accepting his and others fate or ill fate to be more correct. But he totally lost it the day one of his best friends got a severe cramp while running to the Polo ground to make it in time. Manjhi felt this could have been avoided if his friend was allocated a room in well placed hostels like Ganga.
That moment was the turning point of his life. He has resolved to break the mountainous terrain between Silver woods and academy to dig tunnels to Sampornanand Auditorium, Officer's Mess and to the Polo ground. He had started breaking it up with a shovel and an axe. And he will only stop when the route from Silver Woods to Officers Mess becomes the shortest of all. His fellow OTs from the Silver Woods are bringing him meals throughout the day and have vouched to make his proxy in all classes at any cost.The media is all over the place keeping in tune with the latest updates on Manjhi. On being asked by a journalist to advice other OTs, Manjhi replied "Admin के भरोसे मत बैठिये, क्या पता admin आपके भरोसे बैठा हो?"
On a serious note, the ball has started to roll. The days are getting hectic. The bonds are getting stronger. It's a great place to be with so many talented people. So many things to write about.Stay tune for more updates from LBS.
Genie Reporting.
Yours truly.
After the smooth and streamlined completion of the joining formalities, the OTs settled down into the various hostels in the campus area viz. Ganga, Narmada and Kaveri. And a bunch of chosen ones were catapulted out of the academy into the woods. Silver woods to be precise. An almost 3-star a facility to be more precise. But as they say luxury comes at a cost. The cost of trekking up and down the curvy track to go inside the academy for the daily sessions, the really long walk to the Polo grounds at 5 in the freaking morning and embrace yourself for the most difficult one- Going back one more time dressed in formal to eat the oh so delicious mess dinner. That's a lot of cost I would say.
Among the vary many OTs in Silver Woods, some have made peace with it. Some have decided to dine at the prestigious Ganga Dhaba instead. But there is this one OT named Manjhi who just cannot take it anymore. His heart bleeds at the sight of tired OTs gasping for breath especially at this giant steep uphill road just beneath Silver Woods when they return from the PT in the morning. His heart bleeds some more when he sees that many OTs skip dinner just because the effort is not worth it. When he asked one of his fellow OT how he felt about it the guy replied "PT से डर नहीं लगता साहेब, वापस Silver Woods जाने में लगता है!"
Manjhi right from the first day opposed his allotment to the Silver Woods hostel outside the campus. He felt they have made him the outcast. But then what option did he have with him. He also was on the verge of accepting his and others fate or ill fate to be more correct. But he totally lost it the day one of his best friends got a severe cramp while running to the Polo ground to make it in time. Manjhi felt this could have been avoided if his friend was allocated a room in well placed hostels like Ganga.
That moment was the turning point of his life. He has resolved to break the mountainous terrain between Silver woods and academy to dig tunnels to Sampornanand Auditorium, Officer's Mess and to the Polo ground. He had started breaking it up with a shovel and an axe. And he will only stop when the route from Silver Woods to Officers Mess becomes the shortest of all. His fellow OTs from the Silver Woods are bringing him meals throughout the day and have vouched to make his proxy in all classes at any cost.The media is all over the place keeping in tune with the latest updates on Manjhi. On being asked by a journalist to advice other OTs, Manjhi replied "Admin के भरोसे मत बैठिये, क्या पता admin आपके भरोसे बैठा हो?"
On a serious note, the ball has started to roll. The days are getting hectic. The bonds are getting stronger. It's a great place to be with so many talented people. So many things to write about.Stay tune for more updates from LBS.
Genie Reporting.
Yours truly.
6 comments:
Thanks for writing. You made me nostalgic :) Have fun! All the best!
Nice buddy..
Nice buddy..
Nice buddy..
Beautifully used the metaphor Manjhi. looking forward to read more.
Thanks Rachna, Dilip and resonner! :)
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