On My Mind

As a kid, I was always enamoured of mountains, and why wouldn't I be! The cold, the winds, and the landscape are beautiful. The clean weather also comes as a respite to someone who has lived in North India. The myths surrounding the Himalayas further add to the charm. But then I got the chance to live in the hills, in Mussoorie no less. That did change my perspective a little.  The way I calculate distance has changed forever. The length and breadth seem insufficient now without height. Whether the terrain is upwards sloping or downwards has an important effect on where I'll get my food from, when I'll wake up and which friend I'll hang out with. Over my stay at the LBSNAA, I have realized I would rather walk on the footpath along the road Salman Khan is driving than go from the Sports Complex to the Gyanshila mess. I am also fascinated by the houses in no men's zone as if showing a middle finger to human civilization. They have enough privacy to listen to Justin Bi...

Austerity, Anonymity, Ability, Empathy, Humility, Leadership, and Accountability are just some of the keywords that have been drilled into us during our short training period. Sometimes, it gets a little overwhelming. Only a few months ago, there was uncertainty in my life. I wasn’t entirely sure where I would be, what I would be doing! And today, I am supposed to be the embodiment of virtues of the highest order, carrying a legacy built slowly over the past decades by the doyens of the service. Will I be able to bear the burden of the immense responsibility entrusted to me? The answer to this question doesn’t come easy to me. But the various facets of the training over here at LBSNAA have something to offer for every doubtful soul. For me, it was the Field Study and Research program that took me to the Goshani village of Champawat district in Uttarakhand. I have lived in villages, but this was the first time I was in one as an Officer Trainee or, as I would like to call it, People...