NOSTALGIA IS....NDA

Akhila and I visited National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, almost 70 years after I first reported there on 22 July 1955 to join the 14th Course and 60 1/2 years from when I was last there as a Divisional Officer in 'J' Squadron. Naturally, I was flooded with memories and discovered a new dimension of nostalgia.

Nostalgia is....the very entry into the hallowed premises after all this while. The entrance now is earlier than at the Pashan Gate of old. It starts with the NDA Chowk, a roundabout with a T-55 tank, a MIG 27 fighter aircraft and a model of INS Vikrant. The road continues adorned on both sides with more tanks, aircraft and ship models leading to the Pashan Gate. Equitation Training grounds follow soon after marked by a new gate with a statue of three prancing horses. How well I remember the wooden horses which bad riders were confined to though the latter regarded them as sanctuaries to escape the unpredictable mood of live horses.

Nostalgia is....stopping at the Gole Market, NDA's own shopping centre so named because of its shape. We run into a bunch of cadets of the 153rd Course (mine was 14th) who were all set to start their first term two days later. The cadets were still to get uniforms although their hair had been chopped off to a quarter inch and were wearing temporary tallies displaying the NDA numbers allotted to them. I took a photograph of them to record their numbers which ran into 43500s-43600s compared to my 2134. The boys were in good spirits and I wondered if they knew what was going to hit them in a couple of days after the senior cadets arrived! Later, when I met the Commandant, I asked him whether the first-termers were still asked by the seniors to measure the length of squadron corridors by the number of front rolls. He said yes but with today's advanced technology, a watchful eye is kept through CCTVs to ensure ragging remains at an acceptable level. This is all the more necessary as starting from the 148th Course, NDA now has girl cadets. 148th Course will be completing their six terms in May this year and its girls will be the first lot to pass out from the Academy.

Nostalgia is....visiting the two squadrons which were my home for three years. I spent my first term in 'F' which, due to rationalising of names, now houses 'L'. I walked the long corridors and climbed up to the second floor to see my cabin 98 but was a bit disappointed to find that there has been some redesigning and there is now a bathroom where 98 originally was! 

At the start of my second term, a new squadron, 'K' now renamed 'C', was added and I was transferred to it to spend my remaining 5 terms there. I was delighted to see they have maintained an album which has photographs dating back to January 1956 when the squadron was first formed. So I looked at myself at sweet 17 growing on to 19 and took photographs of photographs which I have been showing around asking relatives and friends if they can recognise the young man! It is not easy. Even I find it difficult to recognise my colleagues but it is wonderful to see them as they were in those days as also the officers led by the revered and much-loved Squadron Leader Chandan Singh who guided us to become the Champion Squadron. Incidentally, Flight Lieutenant Denis LaFontaine who went on to become the Air Chief was one of our Divisional Officers.

Next to the squadron is the Cadets' Cafe where we used to repair to console ourselves with cream cones after the barbers had had a free run on our heads twice a week, sometimes three, at the adjoining shop.

A third Squadron I had attachments to was 'J' where I was a Divisional Officer in 1964-65. Major Shyam Rattan followed by Maj John Verghese were the Squadron Commanders and Flight Lieut 'Speedy' Rana and Capt Surjit Kumar my fellow Div Offrs. Wing Cdr 'Barney' Fernandes was the benevolent Battalion Commander. I shall always remember what for us was a faux pas but not so for Speedy.  Maj Rattan had just become father of a third daughter when Speedy went up to him and wished him 'heartfelt condolences'. On our efforts urging him to correct himself, he said laughingly that in their part of the country, that was how the event was viewed! Maj Rattan took it all smilingly. Actually he was quite a happy-go-lucky guy with a good sense of humour. One of his favourite stories was that during the Second World War he was posted in Monaco and the country was so small that when he slept, his head was in Monaco but his feet were in France!

Nostalgia is.... standing in the huge Cadets Mess, one of the largest in the world, where 1500 of us used to dine together. It has now been extended to seat over 2200 but maintains high quality of food still serving the mouth-watering 'Tipsy' pudding and delicious cold coffee. The Commandant told us an interesting story about the cold coffee which has special ingredients to provide enhanced proteins for the hardworking cadets. Word spread about its special taste and NDA was approached by Starbucks to share its recipe with them which NDA politely refused. The mess staff kindly handed us a glass of cold coffee which we gulped down in a flash and, like Oliver, asked for 'more'!

A stone's throw away is the Ashoka Pillar on a roundabout from where we feast our eyes on Sudan Block with its majestic dome and surroundings. Sudan Block was so named because Sudan paid a tidy sum towards its construction in recognition of Indian soldiers who fought for that country's liberation. On the right flank of Sudan Block stands the vast Habibullah Hall named after the first Commandant of NDA. When I was a cadet, there was a thatched roof Cinema Hall on a hill halfway to the Peacock Bay. I have vivid memories of that Hall where I saw classic old movies like "An Affair To Remember" and "The Last Time I Saw Paris." On top after the climb and just before the Hall, there was a board saying "Resume Breathing". I have never quite understood what was meant by that! Much as we liked going to the movies, the climb was stiff and made worse by seniors asking us to lift our bikes above our heads and run. I found it better to walk to the Hall instead of cycling. Seniors used to ask why I was not on the bike and my answer was "It is punctured sir." Worked most of the time!

When I returned to NDA as a Div Offr, the old Hall had been demolished and a new one built which has been vastly expanded and renovated to acquire its present shape and given the name Habibullah Hall.

Along the road is the Science Block now named Manoj Pandey after the hero of the Kargil War who was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously. I recall two Science teachers, Mr. Keshwani who taught us Physics and affectionately called us 'my boy' with a heavy nasal accent. Teaching Chemistry was Mr. Bhavnani, a fanatic for fresh air. To tease him, we would close all windows before he came to the class. That would upset him straightaway and he would launch into a 10-minute tirade beginning with, "You Indians, black from outside, black from inside...."

On the other side of the road is the vast Drill Square with the Quartermaster Fort at the far end and a naval mast on the road end. This is where we learnt drill, Army style marching and all, with the Britisher RSM Ayling, who was also a Cricket Test Umpire, screaming words of command loud enough to be heard all over the NDA and Subedar Major Gurung's taunts exposing our bad marching by giving rapid words of command such as "Right wheel, dekh tamasha, left turn, dekh tamasha, about turn, dekh tamasha" etc. At the end of a term, this is the scene of the final Passing Out Parade where cadets come out of the QM Fort, march on to the Drill Square, salute the Chief Guest, and the cadets who have successfully completed their training march out on to the dais and past the manned mast with their parents watching with joy and pride.

Nostalgia is...standing by the side of the Swimming Pool, looking at the diving board and remembering my strange incident in my final term. Learning how to swim and dive to pass the compulsory test, I developed a splitting headache every time I entered the water. Nearing the term end, I dragged myself to the pool and reported to the swimming instructor who checked my records and said I had already passed the test. Double check and he reconfirmed. I scooted fast and remained a non-swimmer during my entire naval career- a sailor who didn't know how to swim! To this day I don't know who ticked my box. Providence?!

The swimming pool is next to the Officers Mess and I look at my first-floor cabin where I stayed for a year and a half in 1964-65. It has a balcony and my friends Subodh Gupta, Tiger Talwar, Mel Kendall, Laddoo Malik, Bogey Borgonah, Honky Mukhuty and I spent many evenings there having a drink and singing songs ranging from Pankaj Mullick to The Beatles.

On the other side of the Mess is the Stadium and I visualise my friend and coursemate Jayanto Roy Chowdhry running the 100 metres race, elastic of his shorts snapping and his constantly tugging and pulling up the shorts and still winning the race. There is also the memory of the 15th Course Cadet Arjun Sengupta opening the innings for Services XI in 1957 and scoring a century against the West Indies which won him a place in the Indian test team. 

Nostalgia is....visiting and playing on the Golf Course where I was taught the game 60 years ago by Mr. Dimitri (Dimmy) Jouravlov claiming to be from the family of blue blooded czars. He ran away at the start of the Bolshevik Revolution, worked his way through Central Asia and, accomplished musician that he was, became the Bandmaster in the court of Maharaja of Patiala. After independence, he came to JSW Dehradun where he was appointed as a teacher for Russian. At the NDA, he developed the Golf Course which is rightly named after him. He gave me lessons in golf and got me addicted to the game which I continue to play to date. Dimmy was a lonely old soul and some time after I left the NDA, I heard that he hanged himself in the little cottage allotted to him. A sad end to a remarkable man.

To relive the NDA fully as also to escape the harsh and smoggy winter of Delhi, we stayed there for 10 days. The Commandant, Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh, had kindly made arrangements for us to stay at the Hermitage, a cute little cottage guest house. The cottage reminded me of the one where my friend Loveji Mehta and his sweet wife Nisha used to stay in 1964-65.  They used to invite us bachelors, Subodh Gupta and me, for Sunday lunch. While Nisha busied herself preparing Dhanshak and rice, Loveji would entertain us with Bach and Tchaikovsky out on the lawn.

Admiral Gurcharan and his charming wife, Kamaljit, called us for dinner one evening at Kondhana, the Commandant's house, which I had heard of but never seen before. We had a delightful evening at the lovely house which ranks as one of the best I have ever seen. After dinner, they took us for a walk on the sprawling lawns and showed us the Kalpavriksha which is considered a wish-fulfilling divine tree across many religions including Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. By itself, it never sheds its leaves which are quite hard and legend has it that Lord Krishna used them as spoons to scoop and eat butter. Kamal gave Akhila a bag full of leaves and the latter still asked for more!

Only a couple of weeks have passed but I already get nostalgic about this trip!

Postscript: Our sincere thanks to Admiral Gurcharan and his staff, Cdr Rahul Chauhan, Major Subodh Baghel and Sgt Kushwaha, for making our trip truly memorable.