We were gentlemen once…and young..and slim also..Part II
Part II:
Day
0 (Arrival Day): Today is the day when you arrive at your designated railway
stations and depending on your selection center, you are probably making casual
conversations with a cow (Allahabad ) or abusing the auto/taxi/bus/any fellow (Bangalore).
This is where you meet the other
candidates for the first time. Remember everyone is sizing each other up so a
good first impression is important. Draw yourself to your full height, walk
straight and introduce yourself like a boss at which point the other fellow
will introduce himself as the chaiwallah which is when you will realize you are
on the wrong platform and then begins the 100,000 meter sprint from platform no
A to platform no B carrying shit load of luggage.
This
is how many of us have discovered the hidden Paan Singh Tomar in us not on the
tracks of the school playground but while running from Platform A to Platform B
while carrying two refrigerators, one elephant and half of me in their bags.
By
3 pm (Bangalore) or 1 pm (Allahabad) the bus from the center has arrived. Please
keep your call letters in hand else there will be some pain.
After
arriving at the center you will be made to sit in a hall of sorts where you
have to fill in the PIQ or Personal Information Questionnaire. The PIQ will
form the basis of your interview later on so please provide accurate
information only. If you sham around you will be caught. Remember, you are not sitting
in front of some clueless corporate HR recruiter who is barely 2 years older than
you. Your interviewer will be a Colonel or a Brigadier and in rare cases might
even be a Major General, very likely from the combat arms and would have had
more action under his belt than you have had hot meals so stick to facts.
After
the paper work there will be a welcome note on behalf of the president by one
of the GTO or Group Task Officers (more about them later). This will be followed
by a quick snack break and itinerary of the events for the next day.
After all of the above is done you shall be allotted
your dormitories. Please don’t get disheartened by the conditions of the same (especially
the Bangalore crowd). Once you clear the screening you shall be moved to the
new block.
After
you have checked into your dorms the next thing is run like a mad man towards
the candidate’s mess to grab the best seat and some decent chow. The food is decent
and if you are lucky you might even get chicken the first time itself. In Bangalore’s chow hall there’s a placard
that reads “Eat what you take; take what you eat”. Respect that unless you want
an earful from the staff.
Once
you are back in the dormitory please organize luggage well as you will be
carrying that with you to the screening hall tomorrow. Those who clear will
shift to the new blocks while the once who can’t will be asked to leave
immediately. So organize accordingly and please do not start washing your
clothes the first day itself especially in Bangalore. It’s a humid place and
clothes do not dry very well. Fancy wearing a very wet underwear and wet socks
all the way back home, add to that the embarrassment of being chucked out on
Day 1 itself, not a good combo.
Again
dorm is the best place to build friendships. I emphasize a lot on that aspect
of SSB because that is one of the most amazing take away from this experience.
You can never imagine when, where and how someday this networking may come to
your rescue not to mention the immediate payback in the coming days where a
huge importance is placed on how you interact with your peers socially.
Few
tips on Day 0:
1.
Make sure
you know where the Movement Control Office or MCO is located.
2.
Keep
calm and wear light clothes, contrary to your Sharma uncle’s belief you are not
being judged “platform pe utarte hi beta”.
3.
Once
you have located your fellow candidates please don’t be a Devdas and sit in the
corner. Reach out to them, chances are
you will end up making amazing friends and some of you may end up in the same
group during the impending group discussion believe me that’s a great help on
the screening day and later too.
4.
Please
don’t come with any strategies, this is the SSB not MTV roadies! Be yourself
throughout and believe in yourself right from the moment you take the first
step towards your train.
5.
Eat
light and sleep well the day before. I understand that Indian Railways offers a
hefty challenge in both the aforesaid fields so get food from home and try to
grab a shut eye on the way.
6.
Don’t
judge. You will be surprised at the end results of SSB so making assumptions
about people will only go against you.
7.
Be
careful with your PIQ. Do not bluff.
8.
Listen
to the instructions attentively. If you come from a happy go lucky civilian
background this will be a wakeup call. Newton’s third law applies heavily in
the armed forces and every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
9.
Do not
waste food. It’s not tolerated. Infact it should serve you as a life’s lesson “Take
what you eat, eat what you take”.
10. Don’t crib about the dorm conditions; if
you get through and pass out of the academy it may be even worse at your post.
11. No asshole rule applies strictly. So try
not being obnoxious. You will stand out.
12. Get some Odomos else you will regret it.
Truth has been spoken.
13. Pack lightly. You are men and will spend
the rest of the days in the company of men so a pair of clean underwear, two t-shirts,
two shorts apart from the prescribed clothing will be good enough.
14. Reach
out to your peers.
Cont’d
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