Priya one up, Priya two up, Priya three up….continues upto Priya hundred up. It was the third day of our reporting for the Army training at Officers Training Academy, Chennai. We really had our share of grumblings from day one as Chennai welcomed us warmly, in fact hotly with 40 degree centigrade plus temperatures and each one of us was sweating in buckets. Some of us had come with two huge trunks and worst was the case when the seniors made us carry those trunks from the security gate till our room- that too from day 1 itself.
Thirty of us reported in the evening of day 1. By the time we reached the room after formalities and dinner, there were lights outs. None of the rooms had to put on lights. Our colleagues who had reached earlier briefed us that we had to put sports shoes along with bathrobe for going to toilet. Man, from day 1 onwards, we found the so many dos and don’ts to be constipating. Next day early morning, we went for the first fall in at 0545 hours. The first sentence that I heard shook me up and my ears couldn’t believe what the senior was spoken about. Said he, “who were the four fuckers who came last night?” and since then none of the sentences would be completed with “f”s and MC, BC …many of us were awestruck, this place is supposed to be the most disciplined one and what are we hearing. We were all in civvies mood till then, and some of us would argue for reasons why we were being punished. The ones dared to open their mouths were called “sissy characters”. By day three we knew how to act.
“None of these jokers (we juniors) should be seen walking, they should be flying in groups of four of six”, were the orders for us. By third day morning, all of us were limping, running or managing to run like an overfed pregnant lady because of the wear and tear of muscles. By third day evening, there was a fall in for the juniors by the seniors at footfall ground. The seniors challengingly asked a question to us, “How many of you have got girlfriends?”
Many of us knew what would be the outcome if we volunteered to answer, so we remained mum. Suddenly came an answer from within the group” Sir, I have got girlfriend”. That broke all hell let loose. The seniors asked our friend, “ho hero Salman Khan, what’s ur name? Our friend replied as *Vikas( name changed as Vikas ). So, what’s your girlfriend’s name? asked the seniors , to which Vikas replied “ PRIYA”.
Now, the seniors turned to eighty of us ,Naushera Company( during our first term there were four companies comprising of 80 gentleman cadets and one company of ladies cadets). “You jokers, all of you bent down” ordered the seniors to us. We obliged. “In the name of PRIYA, your friend’s girlfriend, do hundred push ups. All of you will shout loudly, Priya one up, Priya two up, Priya three up…till Priya hundred up. If one of you sham out, it will start from PRIYA one again”, the seniors passed the instruction. That moment, that verdict was same as someone who got a heavy duty punishment at Supreme Court.
While continuing with Priya one up, priya two up….each one of us was cursing our hero Hiralal and madam Priya. That was the first time where we learnt the value of “All for one and one for all”. The loud shouting of eighty of us, the unison, the sweats, the echoes of our voices all became one. Gradually, as days passed we had forgotten the individual self and start thinking and acting as group. During cross country running competition, march and shoot competition, we became one, the mightier ones took care of the not so mightier and faster ones by carrying extra gun, rucksacks, by kicking, shouting and mouthing the dirtiest names , ensuring that all eighty of their groups closed in at recorded timings. That was how we were grounded…we hardly remember the number of parties that we attended, however we can never forget the friends whom we had sweated together, struggled together, passed the innumerable darkness and nights…and when light came ages later, we still remember those buddies…and SS 70 and WS 16, are the best examples from the history of OFFICERS TRAINING ACADEMY…and we are proving it….and this is just the prelude…
…to be contd
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