The year was 1990 and I had appeared for my class XII examination. For last two years I was an NCC cadet (Army wing) and attended two camps. Looking back, at that time I am not very sure as to what prompted me to join Navy or for that matter any of the defence forces, if I remember correctly it was my childhood fascination with our defence forces and their men. Since I had my upbringing in a village and there were so many people who were serving in defence forces (most of them in Army) few of them in Airforce and only one in Navy. These people were someone special for all of us since they used to command the respect of each and every villager for the kind of job they were performing. Apart from being posted to far flung stations they used to visit their native places after long intervals that too also arose a kind of respect in our minds for them. After passing my class 10 exam in 1988 with first div (a big thing during those days) I started applying for certain posts (only the Indian Air Force found me suitable with my above 60 % marks in class X) to be worthy to be called for a written test. Same way I applied for Navy, when applications were being called for MER (Matric Entry Recruits). In the month of April 1990 I received a call letter asking me to report to BRO Lansdowne, a beautiful cantonment town located in the hills of Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh then. I was thrilled to receive this news and prepared myself for this journey. On reaching at BRO the written test was conducted and the next day we were called for medical and physical test. It was my first attempt to join our defence forces and I was not much familiar with their selection process specially the medical examination, we were around 10 candidates called together and after certain observation of our outer physique were were told to lower our underwear, which after some hesitation we all had lowered. The medical officer (an Oriya Captain of AMC) dutifully examined all of us in the best possible way first our scrotum was examined and then we were asked to turn around and then bending our backs were were told to open our buttucks for examination of some dreadful diesese from which we might have been suffering. Next day were were told to go back to our places. After around one month I received a letter informing me that I have been selected to join the Indian Navy as a sailor. I was top of the world that day and my joy knew no bounds as I was being the first one from generation to have been selected for any of the govt jobs. In the previous generation of ours this distinction was with my Uncle who had joined as a Village Level Worker (VLW) later promoted to VDO (Village Development Officer). The letter informed me to report at BRO Lansdown on 30 Jun 90 for our onward journey to the training establishment located in the state of Orrissa,named INS Chilka. Next day when we reached at BRO with all our documents three other fellows were also there of course they also were selected. Two of them were from Dehradun and one from Kotdwar and myself from Haridwar. We all became good friends and at evening we planned for a movie Tezaab. We were quite happy to see ourselves in the league of the famous actor Anil Kapoor who had played the role of a Naval cadet in the said movie. Finally the day of our departure had arrived and we were given our Warrant (not for arrest, but for train journey) from Kotdwar to Chilka. We were instructed that a direct train to our destination would be available at Lucknow railway station next day at 1.00 PM and from Kotdwar we have to catch the train to Lucknow. At Kotdwar railway station I bid farewell to my elder brother and father (a long story of his reaching there to bring me back on the insistence of my mother). We all were very happy to finally become free and master of our own lives and that too such an early age. (I was 17 years and 02 months old then). Journey was quite good as the weather was pleasant since it was the beginning of monsoon. As we had no reservation we had to travel in unreserved compartment. But still the journey to Khurda Road railway station was quite good. I still remember crossing of the mighty river Mahanadi and a quite changed landscape of coastal cities. On 02 July 1990 we had arrived at INS Chilka and the date also became our official date of joining the Naval service.
About chilka and training in next post.
About chilka and training in next post.
