The Class Room Learnings

            It may come as a surprise to the non-NDA friends that a NDA cadet is also required to study. So there are 4-5 periods daily devoted to academic syllabus of B. Sc., B.A. or B. Sc. (IT) from the now infamous JNU. Since the first two or three periods of the day were of the out door type described earlier, most cadets prefer to utilize the academic classes to catch up on sleep with very interesting results.

            There was this burly cadet in our squadron from Sainik School Chittorgarh who was sleeping in one of the class rooms on the third floor of the Sudan Block during an out door class. The Adjutant (Maj H K Trivedi from the Grenadiers) discovered him in that state during his early morning surprise rounds of the Block, caught him in the act, awarded seven ‘restrictions’ to  him on the spot, and went ahead with his round. This smart cadet, with the logical deduction that the Adjutant’s round being over, it would be safe to go back to sleep. So went back to sleep he did  at the same venue but was twice unlucky to have been caught again in the ‘act’ by the same Adjutant who decided to re-check the class room – just in case.

            The next day, the Academy Order had this interesting post – No …… C/4-  Cadet ……… Awarded 14 days restrictions; Charge – “Was found sleeping in class room No ---- at 0730 hrs by the Adjutant and had the audacity to repeat the performance within ten minutes of having been caught.”

            Then there was this Geography instructor who would come dressed always in semi-transparent terry cotton  full sleeves white bush shirt and trousers with his ‘fatte wala kachhchha’ visible through it, black pointed shoes with red colour socks and the ubiquitous ‘hat pith riding’ covered with translucent white nylon film. (I am sure his riding skills would be similar to mine but why he wore that riding hat was and remains a mystery to me.) He would always accuse a particular cadet in my class of copying during tests because of the latter’s unique ability to keep an open book above his knees and stick them to the underside of his desk which facilitated copying without being detected. During one such session, the teacher was agitated enough to force the cadet to stand up which resulted in the unauthorized object falling down for every one to see. The enterprising cadet, on being questioned about the book, replied, “Sir, I have these tall legs and my knees collide with the underside of the desk while sitting. So in order to provide cushioning to the knees, I put a book between them and the desk.”

            One night, after some punishment drill, one enterprising cadet emptied the contents of his water bottle in the rain gauge installed outside the geography lab, Next morning, when the instructor came to take the class, made this opening remark, “Last night when I went to sleep, the sky was clear. I must have slept like a log because I did not realize that it rained heavily during the night. It is only this morning when the rain gauge readings were shown to me did I realize that it rained 44 mm over night.”

            Then we had the ‘Hitler’ with the ‘Workshop’ as his karmabhoomi. During a ‘welding’ class he dozed off sitting in his iron chair and an expert cadet welded his chair to the floor.

            Who can forget the by now legendary question by the maths teacher Mr Prem Singh? When he was going on his scooter with his wife on the pillion, a cadet remarked – “Beauty and the Beast”. He stopped the scooter in mid tracks, looked back and shouted, “Who called my wife a Beast?”