"That cold shivering moment was not less than a scene from Bollywood biography"

As an NCC Cadet, one dreams of only one thing which would serve the purpose of him/her joining the organisation; going to Delhi for the Republic Day Camp. The name itself leaves behind a craving which is more than enough to satisfy the hunger of a cadet. Similarly I had this dream to go to the RDC when I was in the junior wing of NCC. Post getting selected in intergroup competition at Aurangabad I withdrew due to my ankle injury. But now when I was in the senior wing, I knew the bullseye right from the beginning. I started looking up to the people who had been through the same procedure right from the frst year. It is because to become a good leader, you have to be a good follower frst! I kept following their footsteps. Soon in the month of September, when I was in the 2nd year of NCC, the notifcation for RDC had come in the college WhatsApp group. It's was showtime. As the ANO briefed us about the Pre-RDC I, I packed my bags with enthusiasm and was all set for the same. After the opening address of the Camp Commandant, we were segregated as per categories - Drill, Cultural's and Best Cadet. Since I had a good rapport in the unit, I was selected for Best Cadet. Right from the 2nd day we began with our practice. As Best Cadets, we were required to be allrounders. So our daily routine looked something like this - Firing in the morning, then drill, then lectures after lunch followed by interviews by the camp commandant and Group discussions and to sum it up, cultural's in the evening. We were fltered throughout the camps. One day you put up a bad show and you miss out on being in the team of your group. Fortunately, I sailed through the camps and our strong contingent of 76 was all set to take on the remaining 6 groups and give a tough fght in Pune. The IGC took place for 10 days. There were back to back competitions which kept us on our toes, but thanks to our PI Staf, who had made us habitual to this in the Pre RDC Camps. I gave my best in the GD, Personal interview and fring but in the end, I couldn't sail through in the Best Cadet competition. I saw my dream of going to RDC getting shattered in front of my eyes. But the camaraderie amongst all the campmates was so much that everyone had everyone's else's six and kept motivating them. Similarly, my father motivated me to give the audition for the Cultural's. And guess what, I came up with fying colours in it! Now I was going to represent my state at a national level! It was a dream come true for me. Then we practiced day in and day out to make our state win at Delhi. After giving the measurements, soon our kit for RDC arrived. Those newly stitched tracksuits, trousers, shirts, blazers had some diferent fragrance. No we were all set to go to Delhi and hoist our fag at the throne of Delhi. We had fun in travelling by the train. As we reached Delhi, it was 4°C and in Pune we were in 20°C each knees, of us could be seen shivering in the cold. Soon we settled and then began with the cleaning of line area. Our competitions began, we gave our best. Our directorate performed well in Rajpath as well as Guard of Honour selection. And now it was the time for Delhi Darshan. We roamed places(name the places) but the most memorable one for me was war memorial. I saw a man with a single rose bouquet standing in front of a martyrs name he saluted him with pride and tears in his eyes and left without having a word with anyone. That cold shivering moment was not less than a scene from a Bollywood biography. Later on I went to check the name. The brick was carved in golden letters with the name of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan 7 Bihar 51 SAG NSG. Then we went to the DG NCC campus. The next day results were declared and Maharashtra stood second! We all were disappointed but still, we had left 15 other Directorates behind! All the visits of service chiefs the Defence Minister and the Delhi's CM were exciting. Also the PMs rally was a grand ceremony were all the prizes were awarded. After that we returned to Mumbai for post RDC. We were welcomed and called for dinner and lunch at CMs and governor's house. All in all it was fun. When I looked back at the journey, right from the 1at Pre RDC camp, it looked like a mountain top view to me which showed what all had I been through!

Regards, SUO ISHANI P. SHARMA 4 Maharashtra (Girls) Battalion, NCC. Amravati, Maharashtra DTE.