Lt Col Rohit Agarwal - Academy: Bonded For Life

Three decades ago, measuring lengths of the corridors in my squadron via front-rolls, I never imagined a time when I would look back nostalgically at those days - let alone write a book about them. I now realise the wisdom of what Nietzsche said - That which does not kill us makes us stronger. The three years at the academy surely made us stronger - physically, and mentally. Decades later, we can withstand whatever life throws at us without flinching, thanks to the never say die attitude instilled in us then.

The bonds of friendship and camaraderie we forged there have only grown stronger with passage of time. These bonds are not just with people who you knew back then or were there around the same time as you. Having belonged to that institution at some point in time, even years apart, establishes an immediate connect when you meet even for the first time. Which course? Which squadron? Two questions and you can get talking on familiar grounds. As for coursemates, wives will vouch for their reverting to behaving like 17-year olds the moment three or more of them are together.

We lived in a different world, with unique practices and language of its own. A little bit of that world we continue to carry with us forever. This book is an attempt to give those who havent been a part of that world a tiny glimpse into it. The idea came to my mind while narrating anecdotes about the academy to my children. I looked at their incredulous faces, trying my best to convince them that bathroom clearance or square meals were real things. Or making a sandwich at breakfast was permissible only fourth term onwards. I judged from their reactions that these stories would make good reading, but the readers would need some context alongside to decipher and enjoy them to the fullest. Thats exactly what I have tried to do in these pages. To give even the un-initiated reader a flavour of life at the academy, at the cost of being a little descriptive.

For Ex-NDAs reading this, it is meant to be a leisurely stroll down memory lane. Those who were in the academy within the same decade as me would find things very familiar and relatable. They themselves may have many similar stories to tell. For those who came much before or after me, it would be of interest to note how practices have changed and evolved over time. But irrespective of which year you rolled along the hallowed sidewalks of Trishul Marg, you will find many things have remained unchanged.

The book is essentially an account of my own three years in the academy. The characters mentioned are therefore real, though I have changed most names to protect their identities. Many of them are still serving and I dont want to be held guilty of leaking embarrassing details about a possible future service chief. The incidents are also real, though I may have used a raconteurs license to exaggerate some of them. I have also unashamedly usurped a few incidents that, though real, happened to someone else at some other point in time. While reading the book, you will realize that the first three chapters are much longer than the last three. Thats because each chapter is about one term at the academy, and in real life, the junior terms seemed much longer and were more eventful than senior terms.

The collaboration behind creation of this book itself is living embodiment of the academy spirit and bonds. Its written and illustrated by two coursemates from NDA and published by the wife of a third one. I have crowd sourced many of the incidents included here from coursemates. The foreword is written by one of the most illustrious alumni of the academy.

I am grateful to my family my wife Divya and children Akshat and Aadya for being a patient audience and accommodating readers through the long process of creation of this book. My mother, whos blessings are all the assurance I need. And my brother, Ravin, following in whose footsteps I joined the academy.

I am also thankful to Richa for taking time out from running a school to go through the manuscript and offer valuable editing inputs.

I gratefully acknowledge the contributions of those who shared anecdotes with me, some of which I have included, though many I havent been able to. Im extremely grateful to Capt Anshuman Chatterjee (IN) (Retd), whos brilliant cartoons have brought this book to life, and to Mrs Ganiv Panjrath of Creative Crows for giving a living shape to our ideas. I am also deeply grateful to Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, AVSM (Retd), Olympics medalist, Union Minister and one of the most illustrious alumni of the academy, for graciously agreeing to write the foreword for this book.

And a special thanks to Col Nidhish Bhatnagar (Retd) and Mr Dheeraj Singh for making this possible amidst the ministers busy schedule.