RISING ABOVE CHALLENGES!
My journey with NCC is one I never expected. The Isha from 5 years ago would have never thought she would be sitting here and telling this story. Quite an irony it is that I never wanted to join NCC but rather was forced by my elder sister to give it a try. I always thought that NCC was all about parade and drill until I discerned its true significance and it became more than just a commitment to me.
I am Cadet Captain Isha Udawat and I belong to the village named DINGAI located in the Pali district of Rajasthan. I’m pursuing my bachelors degree in Arts from MLSU Udaipur. I got enrolled in No. 1 RAJ NAVAL NCC UDAIPUR in OCT 2022. In my 1st year, I was very hesitant. Speaking in front of people or expressing my opinions felt an uphill battle . Due to the endless encouragement of my friends and seniors, I was able to overcome my initial hesitations. NCC provided an environment that constantly challenged me, be it training or leadership roles, all of NCC moulded me into someone who could face any challenge.
In my 2nd year I decided to go for Republic Day camp(RDC) . Initially I only hoped to become Rajasthan’s Best cadet – a title that felt both ambitious and within reach . The thought of becoming AIBC seemed beyond my reach.. I always had self doubts whether I could ever achieve a title as grand as that. Nevertheless I started preparing.
It all began with the pre-IGC camp at the group level, where our first competitions took place. My performance was average at that time, particularly in firing, where my scores were downright disappointing. Yet, despite this, I somehow managed to secure a spot for Inter-Group Competition ( IGC ). From there, it was two straight months of back-to-back camps. On top of that Best Cadet event requires a wide range of competitions . With such tight schedule, there was hardly any time to focus on mastering all of them. I kept on working by cutting sleep and resting hours . Our day used to begin with morning PTs followed by written exams , cultural sessions , firing practices drill and night study hours. So you could say that I had learnt the art of jumbling many things at once . Certain instances stand out vividly in my memory, I remember revising chapters while balancing 3 pots on my head , practicing for rajasthani folk dance. I also started studying in firing positions and always took early morning santari duties to keep up with my preparation. Thus, NCC polished my multitasking and time management skills like no other place could've. There are also some challenging but fond moments I hold dear to heart. My firing score remained average for 2-3 camps , I scored horrible despite putting in the effort to improve. My fellow cadets even suggested me to replace the rifle and held it accountable for poor firing . But I don’t know why I got attached to it . I cleaned it daily and respected and worshipped it. I just held onto one belief: “Even if it would give me a score of zero on the final day, I would still never leave it behind”. That persistence paid off. In the end, that very rifle helped me perform better than I ever expected, reinforcing my faith in the hard work I had put in. After months of struggle, I finally got selected as Best Cadet from my dte. That day I decided I wouldn’t come back without getting a DG interview. Our competitions began right after we reached Delhi .
RDC Delhi was one hell of a ride for me and to make it worse I got a very nasty lung infection. My body couldn’t cope with the harsh Delhi winter. But I had no choice , there was no scope of rest, no turning back at this point. My schedule became more hectic as I was also the flag area briefer of my dte. We had to be present at the flag area for the entire month . Another challenge was maintaining the uniform . I used to be very particular about my turnout and crease and, as a naval cadet , every night ,after a long and exhausting day, I had to wash my uniform by hand, making sure it was perfectly clean and ironed. During the final tests, my written exam, firing, and DST (drill test ) went well but by the time I had my Additional Director General (ADG) interview my health had taken a serious toll and made it hard for me to speak with clarity and confidence. Sitting there, I could feel that I wasn’t able to present my best self. My thoughts were scattered, and I couldn’t focus properly. The interview seemed to drag on much longer than the ones other cadets had. Thoughts hovered on that I had messed up . I cried a lot, convinced that all my hard work and effort had been undone in the time span of that single interview. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, my performance in other events would still be strong enough to secure a spot for the DG interview.
The day top 5 were announced, I saw my name on the list, and I felt a wave of relief and excitement wash over me. I had made it—I had managed to stay in the competition. I made up my mind that I would give my best shot to it . On the day of the DG interview, I was very confident . To my surprise the interview didn’t last more than 5 minutes! Although I answered all the questions well , I was left with an unsettling doubt…..Was that enough? Nevertheless at that point I stopped thinking about the results and expected a medal at least . The day results were announced , I cannot describe how I felt – shocked or surprised, It all felt surreal. I would be awarded by Prime minister and my parents would be very proud of it .
As I look back to 27th Jan 2024 I could recall every single day of the camp and how I used to say “ RDC , you’re very harsh on me , I’ll try not to hate you”. I know to many this might just be an achievement in NCC and not much but for me, it was a turning point. I’m grateful for this new version of me who is ready for all that life throws at her and I’m not afraid of even the rocky unpaved path I have yet to encounter.
