All Form and No Substance - The Drill Square

            Whenever I used to glance at the Training Programmes on the Notice Board in the Squadron Lobby, this quote would always stare at me – “Drill is the bedrock of discipline”. Despite my best efforts, I failed to comprehend its meaning till about ten years later when I read Edwin Boring’s thesis on the ‘Psychology of Military Incompetence’. (To those of you who may not have read it, I commend it even at this stage of life.) It was much later that a scientific study revealed that regular banging of heels on the ground over a prolonged period causes irreversible damage to the brain. Do you still wonder as to what causes the perceived absence of substance and an undue emphasis on form in the military?

            After equitation, drill would definitely be the next for its pure entertainment value to the cadets. I was so influenced by its all encompassing impact that I penned a full article on it. (In Hindi of course as I continued to think in Hindi till quite late in life till the realization dawned on me that translating Hindi thoughts to English frequently results in free humor for the reader.) If I find that article, (which I am trying my best to do) I would definitely share it on this forum.

            Off all the tales of the Drill Square, (some facts and most fiction born out of wild imaginations of cadets due to the constant deprivation of entertainment in daily routine) this true incident must go down as the ultimate. One wore ‘drill boots’ for drill (how obvious) which had thirteen nails on its outer sole (thank God not on the inner) which were inspected by every one who was your senior in whatever way before, during and after the drill period.

            So during this particular drill class, the ‘ustaad’ in order to facilitate proper inspection of our boots, made us get in one line facing him. He then marched smartly to a position exactly behind the first cadet on the left and shouted the word of command, “Left Foot Up” for the simple task of inspecting the presence (or absence) of the prescribed thirteen nails on the outer soles of every ones’ left shoe. All of us promptly lifted our left feet so that the leg would become parallel to the ground while the foot with the shoe would be at ninety degrees to the ground. One bright cadet, who happened to be standing next to me on my left in the line, smartly raised his right foot instead of the left with the result his right and my left foot came up together and proudly displayed the thirteen nails for the benefit of the ‘ustaad’. The ‘ustaad’ was not at all amused with this blatant insubordination and hence shouted – “Yeh kaun cadet donon paon upar kar ke khara hai?”