NCC,THE STORY THAT MADE ME

I am Sunodh Kumar, the only male NCC Cadet from ECE dept (2013-17 batch), in Sona College of Technology. My personal motivation to join the NCC was the awesome sight of the many Republic Day parades, Independence day parades and the inspiring uniformed NCC cadets I witnessed during my childhood. I enquired about the roles played by a NCC cadet in the society, I got motivated by what I learnt and decided to join the NCC to dedicate my contribution to my country. NCC was the turning point in my life. It changed me from a common person to a special person. It taught me leadership, time management, stress management, team work which myself unique. This is my story of my unforgettable NCC life.

Selection Process

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There we more than 50 participants in the selection round. I thought it would be a very tough competition and was really scared. But I gathered a lot of motivation and courage to compete in the selection process. We were divided into teams of five and the following were the rounds for the selection,

• To run a 400 meters ground 3 times.
• More than 10 push ups.
• Duck walk 50 meters.

I was the fourth candidate to complete all the rounds in my team. Now the team was split again into two. The first 3 winners of each team were grouped I and others were grouped II. I was categorized into group II and I assumed that I will be rejected. But my seniors said,” All the volunteers are members of NCC. Nobody is getting rejected in this selection process. This competition and selection round was held only for showing your physical fitness and stamina”. After listening to those complimenting words I felt relaxed and happy. They also said that the students those who attended the early morning parade punctually from 5:00 am to 7:30 am will become permanent members. I took this seriously and managed to be shortlisted among the 18 students from my entire college into the NCC team.

The real beginning

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I am a guy from Andhra Pradesh who did not know Tamil at that time, I found it extraordinarily difficult to manage with all the Tamil speaking team mates and seniors. So they gave all the instructions in English which delayed the learning process.

During the training process I learnt drill, co-ordination, team work, Physical fitness, stamina and also developed a bond with my team mates and seniors. The real  forever connection with them sprouted when we attended camps.

My First Camp – CATC ( Combined Annual Training Camp, Salem)

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This was a very difficult and memorable camp in my life. It was a 10 days camp conducted in TPT Poly Technique , Salem. This camp was conducted during our model exams. I was scared about how I was going to manage and excel in both my college exams and camp events. In that camp we had competitions like drill, tent fixing, cricket, volley ball and night duties.

The competition was held between the top colleges in Salem. We were the runners previous year. So our seniors trained us with full potential to shape us enough to win the league this time.

During the night duties, we were instructed to guard the camp office and college main gate for 3 hours. While guarding I realized the difficulties and efforts faced by the brave soldiers of our country while guarding in its border, facing harsh temperatures, terrain and looking out for potential threats for the country.

It inspired me and increased my respect for the Indian Army, Navy, Air force.

My Second Camp – AAC ( Army attachment camp, Secunderabad)

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It was a 15 day camp withholding lots of memories. There were no competitions in this camp but it gave us the real time experience of a soldier’s life.

Our country’s soldiers have sacrificed so much for our country. They rarely see their family or otherwise they see them only during emergency situations. In the camp, every soldier treated us like their own children. One of the soldier we met told us that, “We got relieved from our home sick mind and felt like family when you all were around”.

After listening to this I learnt that every soldier considers every one as their children.  In spite of being from different social status and regional background they were all united and were bonded as one family. This camp increased the bond between my batch members and increased our contacts with other state cadets. We visited many places around the city like Golconda fort, Salar Jung Museum, Buddha statue in Husain Sagar Lake, NTR garden. So this camp proved to me that ” Unity is Strength”.

My Third Camp – All India Doon Trek 2015, Dehrandun

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This was a very precious camp experience that engaged us with so much knowledge and everlasting memories. Here we had to trek i.e., to walk, climb, jump in the rough mountain terrain. It showered our eyes with the most rare places of India  and I understood the words “Incredible India”. We trekked,

• Trek 1- Bijapur to Galjwari ( 7 km)
• Trek 2- Ghangora to Santladevi temple,Hill station ( 7 km)
• Trek 3- Raipur to Maldevta temple ( 6 km)
• Trek 4- Hathipaon to Benog Hill (6 km)

The roughness of the terrain increased gradually in every trek. The last two treks had to be climbed with a lot of precautions and safety measures, but, the beauty of the top view and the landscape we saw was magnificently astonishing to us. To mention in detail, I was specially wonder struck by the beauty of the mussoorie hill roads. We also saw a lot of Uttarkand.

Even though they had all the facilities, we were provided only a limited version of it in order to learn how to live in such situations.I learnt the importance of not wasting water, electricity, food. I also learnt importance of learning to speak Hindi. We experienced the vibrant cultures from all around India.

The most proud moment in this camp was the opportunity to step into Indian Military Academy (IMA), as entry into this place is restricted to common man.When I entered the campus the vibration of the wind, voice of the soldiers parade made me feel like I have become a part of the Indian Army itself.

Here every soldier is called a gentleman. They deserve that title as they were so perfect in everything they do. Here we have seen the real life of the soldiers, their tough and rigorous training, daily life. After seeing their prestigious life style I aspired to join them.

We interacted with many students there. Their words, body language and behavior was very polite, modest and welcoming. It felt like a holy ground to me.

All the above 1088 words expressed only 5% of my feelings I really want to share with you all.

Summary

In this grand journey of my life, I learnt leadership, team work, stress management, time management, communication skills, courage, boldness, health conscious, problem solving skills etc. I learnt all the skills and motivation required to lead an independent life and I learnt how we can take our country forward to a better future by contributing our-self to this motherland of mine.

I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to my NCC mates and seniors. Even though I was a stubborn person my friends understood me and they have been supporting throughout my college life. Last but not the least, I thank all the clubs in the Sona College Of Technology especially The English Club and EDC for helping me develop my soft skills.
                                                 

EC: KRISHNA KUMAR