A Lot of Substance but No Form – The Dogra Regt Book Prize Essay

            All my course mates know about my standing first in the B. Sc. stream, getting a six star torch, getting a lot of book prizes each term and finally getting the President’s Silver Medal for being overall second while passing out of NDA in June 1974. But not many know about my rather pedestrian English in those days. I was a master of the Rajbhasha and was excused all Hindi classes during the first term as my level of Hindi was considered to be above the highest level that the Academy taught.

            So when I got the Book Prize in English in the fourth term, I was pleasantly surprised as I had apparently surpassed the level which the likes of Billoo Chauhan had. Elated at this ‘Oscar’ achievement, I decide to take part in the Dogra Regimental English Essay Competition held for the Fifth Termers. To my continued surprise, about a month after writing the essay, I got an order through normal channels that I was to see the Principal next day in his office after the classes got over.

            The Principal, Dr H K Srivastava of the Boston University fame, got up from his regal chair on seeing me enter his office and walked to me to congratulate me for writing the best essay in the competition and asked me to have a seat – which was totally against the norms of the Academy. I sat down very uncomfortably and waited for his discourse. After sitting back on his regal chair, gave me the bad part of the news – that although I had won the first prize because of the content of my essay, it could not be published in the NDA Magazine as per the SOP due to my poor language.

            My secret desire (not of the ‘My Secret Gardens’ by Nancy Friday type) to see myself in print in the ‘language of the elite’ evaporated within the confines of the Principal’s office and I had no option but to get out of there after thanking him. Readers may please note that mine is the only essay in the history of Dogra Regimental Essay Competition which did not get published – so much for getting the first prize in English.