NCC camp, Tenga Valley (1)

This story is in continuation of my previous story titled Selection for camp: Last 20

The sunglass wearing bus driver, drove like a maniac, as he navigated the severe turns on our way from Tezpur (Assam) to a town in Arunachal Pradesh (don’t remember the name now). The happiness that came out from getting to come out through the guarded gate of the school was intoxicating, more so, as only a few of us did so as the rest of the school carried out their mundane activities.
We were going to attend the ‘All India NCC camp, TENGA Valley, Arunachal Pradesh’ and get to spend approximately 14 days out of the school, away from those regular PTs, classes, uniforms, and the teachers and seniors.

We finally reached an army camp, and busied ourselves like hungry wolves in an army canteen, before sweeping down on the CSD canteen, nearby. Buses were rare in those parts, primarily occupied by the army, buses dint look feasible in that region. Signposts with quotes like ‘Speed Thrills But kills’ and ‘be gentle on the curves’ looked like ghost sign posts meant for none. After a night’s stay at the ‘barracks’ made of tin, we were shifted to our destination in a now decommissioned variant of the army truck called Shaktiman. We reached the camp site, after nightfall. The gurgling of a hilly river somewhere in the dark greeted us, as we climbed down the truck along with our respective ‘kit bags’. Our team from the school included:

A Non commissioned officer, who came with us from school and
some students from class IX, that included me. Will try recollecting their names: (kindly remind me if I missed out some)
Hemanta Kalita (3369)
Kingshuk Raktim (3345)
Anjit Logun (3292)
Kaushik Kiran Gogoi (3262)
Deepjyoti Pegu (3382)
Hirak Jyoti Bora (3367)
Samirul Hussain (3269?)
Amit Pandey (3292)
Safiqul Islam
ME

An initial fall in happened, as we stood in formation alongside several other teams hailing from different regions of the country. The gathering was presided over by a burly looking, foul mouthed NCO, who briefed us about the ‘RULES’ and primarily emphasized on the ‘NOT TO Dos’. We found shelter in one of the barracks alongside the river, which was partially occupied by NCC Orissa team, accompanied by their NCO. We occupied the empty beds on the other half of the room. At sharp 10pm, the Orissa team switched off the bulbs on their side of the world, while passing us a glance to do the same in our part of the world.

It was difficult for me to gauge, what was bothering the Orissa team that night as we chatted away much after the 10pm deadline. After all we had come out of the hostel after so long and for so short a time! Perhaps they could never understand the joy and excitement. Most them used to stay with their families unlike us, and that probably explains their ignorance. They were all of college going age and looked taller than us. We were in IXth. Our NCO wasn’t there. He was probably enjoying his freedom in his own ways, wasting away in some corner. The Orissa team confronted us, spearheaded by their NCO, pointing out our lack of discipline.
Now there are several concrete truths about SSGians, and one of them was their pride. We blasted them off their ass, as teams from other regions (esp. the NCC team from other parts of Assam came by, who we had already befriended during the short fall in).
The next morning, we got up quite late, as we found neatly folded beds on the other side. Though neat, each bed was dressed differently from the other. I smiled at the sight and went out after giving a loud wake up call for my friends. I stepped out and saw the river, flowing precariously close by. The sight was rather inviting, as the sunlight gleamed on its water. As I looked on the other side, I saw figures in a fall in, at the central fall in place in the middle. They were attending PT. I looked on the other side and I cared the least. Soon Kingshuk came out followed by others, and we started to plan our day, as if we were on a holiday! To be continued…

Selection for Camp: The Last 20

The clutter in the 1000 sitting capacity mess, died down as the school captain hammered the table for the closing grace of the lunch. He announced, “Camp selection test for class IX will be held in the afternoon, and all students of class IX will have to ‘fall in’ in the main ground at 1400 and 30 hours. Dress would be regular games dress. Thank God for what we have received”.

1400 hours: Many of us are availing the precious half an hour break between lunch time and the prep class (which have been replaced by the selection process for my batch), snoring, or simply lying down, or reading some magazine dog eared and tattered by excessive use. Finally the ominous mess bell went off announcing the dressing up time for the selection and prep class for the rest.

Most of us reached for the selection on time. And our instructor/punisher wasn’t surprised that none of us were late, as we were all eager to buy that precious opportunity to go out of the school, in the form of the NCC camp, held at various parts of the country (in this case, 20 would be selected out of 150, for two different camps. One was to be held in Arunachal Pradesh and the other was yet to be disclosed). The top ten will get to go to Arunachal Pradesh, while the next 10 would have to wait.

All events started with a head count, and we counted 144, 2 sick in quarter (SIQ in our lingo) and 2 were admitted in MI ROOM. The instructor inspected us through his dark sun glasses and declared the first test. We had to run to a nearby landmark, Kodal Dhuwa Pukhuri (the literal translation would be ‘the spade washer’s pond) and come back to where we stood, and make it in the first hundred. The approximate distance would be 4 kilometers in total.

The blow of the whistle marked the beginning of the test, as we ran like there was no tomorrow. By the time, I made it back; we were drowned in our own perspirations. I made it within the first hundred and the last 44 were allowed to go and attend the prep classes. A wooden structure stood where we were standing. Coloured in stripes of black and white, it resembled a dwarfed football goalpost. The next test involved 20 chin ups, where one jumps and hangs from the bar, and lifts the body, till the chin cross the bar. Some more fizzled out, after failing to perform the task. A tired bunch of around 90 students now looked up at the instructor, eager to perform the next task.

Two ropes stood dangling from a tall post. And we climbed like monkeys on the rope, some using their legs and some solely with their hands. No one fizzled out on this task, though many of us came down with bruised palms from the speed with which we descended, rubbing our palm with the coarse rope. We were taken on the gravel road, for push ups. For the next few minutes all I can remember now was the constant ‘up….down….up….down’. From my inverted view, I saw more students fizzling out, or simply collapsing on the ground. After what seemed like hours, around 50 of us stood the ground, looking extremely tired and the scorching sun seemed to have dimmed, probably due to the tiredness, rather than the actual onset of the evening which was still an hour away.

After a humanitarian break of 5 minutes we laid on the ground on our back and folded our knees, all set to start the next task – sit ups. The constant sound started all over again… ‘up…down…up…down’, constantly multiplied by the groans of many of us. Some more fizzled out. As they got up and collapsed on the green grass of the ground nearby. The sight of those sitting on the grass was tempting, but the hope of getting to go out of the school kept most of us performing the task. The sound of the bell in the school building across the road was followed by students rushing out juggling various balls, football, handballs, volley balls, basket balls, running to their respective grounds/courts. The whistle from the instructor meant that the test was over and as I struggled to get up, I saw my fellow mates for the first time in the entire afternoon; some were incredibly red and sweaty, while some stood there with pain written large on their face. Yet, we were the last twenty standing. The day light fast disappeared, as we limped towards our respective houses for a glass of water and a much deserved shower.

8pm. All houses assembled in the mess for dinner and we all had the same story to narrate. Our elbows won’t bend enough to lift a glass to our mouth or to take off the vest. We helped each other, as some roamed around asking for pain killers. What happens next? How did the camp go?