On NCC

NCC, as some of you might be knowing, stands for National Cadet Corps. How I got associated with NCC, is a long, and somewhat sad story.

At IITD, all first year students have to compulsarily do 100 hours of non-academic work. They have to choose one activity out of NCC, NSO (National sports Organization), and NSS (I don't know the full-form, but it has something to do with social service). The Dean, Student Affairs, IITD, seems to have this weird notion that doing 100 hours of this kind of weird work will help in the 'All round development of the students' personality.', and 'Balancing of academics and extra-curriculars.' In a way it does help in the balancing of acads and extra-curriculars. It manages to bring student grades down to match the dismally low level of non-academic activities at IITD.

Most sensible people take the easy way out, and opt for NSS. Lesser sensible people take up NSO. But I, like the IC I am, opted for NCC.

This decision was primarily because of a couple of my friends, and secondarily because I said to myself, in truly filmi stye: "Jab main fauji ban jaoonga, to college ki saaaaari ladkiyan mere peeche bhaagengi." At that particular point of time, I did not know that IITD was the kind of place where you didn't want 'college ki saari ladkiyan' running after you even in your worst nightmares.

A couple of introductions before we move on.

Aditya Bhatla: Aditya has been a good friend for the last two years, when we started going to VMC together. I knew him before that as well, since he also lives at AIIMS, but was never good friends with him. He passed out last year from Modern School, VV, and is now doing Electrical engineering at IITD. He also happens to be in the same hostel as me (He will kill me if I call him an IC on the Internet).

Aayush Nayyar: Ayush was also with me during VM. He is fat, funny, and is the only person I know who has a perfectly spherical head. Being with Ayush is wildly entertaining, but he can be bitingly sarcastic at times. He is currently doing a 5-year dual course in Comp. Science and engineering at IITD.

These were the two people then, who, along with me, decided to take up NCC. We realised our mistake as early as the first class, after which we took turns accusing each other of influencing each others' decisions. Whoever's fault it was, the end result of the whole thing is that every Saturday and Sunday, the three of us march up and down the hockey field in coarse policeman coloured uniforms, weird headgear (It's called a topi, and has to be worn with a tilt, with the emblem above your left eye), and shoes weighing 2 kg (each), for about 4 hours. Today we learnt how to do a U-turn while marching, and how to salute. The only consolation is that these NCC-walahs give us bloody good chai, and samosas, during a short 5-minute break.

With NCC over and majors only a week away, it is time for me to start on my maths tutorial sheets. In the words of Master Yoda, "Back to work, we must get."