Misc
THE MILITARY TRAINING OF A CADET IN THE DEFENCE TRAINING ACADEMIES
- MORNING PT PARADE: He runs to the PT ground in a squad and must be doing a few kms during PT. PT ustads have a popular game called the ‘four touch’: ‘GC……you see that football goal post, and that hockey goal post there, then the other football post in the yonder, and the hockey post closer to us……class will go around all these four posts and come back here in three minutes. Those who come late will go again.’ Now make a rough guess of the kilometers covered. After the PT, the cadet runs over to his next class or back to the Company as the case may be, in squads.
- DRILL PARADE: Whether in conjunction with the PT Parade or by itself, warming up in the parade ground is quite akin to ‘four touch’, that too in drill boots. Then the drill lessons as such, how much one runs depends upon the drill saab’s mood.
- ACADEMIC CLASSES: After the outdoors, the cadets run back to the Companies in squads, quick shower, change and run up to the Cadet’s Mess in squads. After breakfast, they run up to their respective classrooms, whether in main blocks or outdoors. A Sergeant on duty may not like the squad discipline and might make them play four touch again. In the senior term, they are allowed to walk up everywhere individually (and not in a squad).
- Games: Assuming there is no company level activity before games, cadets muster for games in the afternoon. There is no way of telling how much one runs chasing a football, a hockey ball or a basketball.
- Evening Activities: for the 3rd termers, the rest of the evening after dinner goes peacefully. For the juniors, it is quite unpredictable.
- X-Country Practices: Almost every Sunday morning, until the event is over. The route itself is approx 12 kms long.
- Drill Practices: Closer to the Inter Company Drill Competition, the companies vie with each other in the amount of practice they do.
- Punishments: Cadets on official punishments (Extra Drill, ET Run or Restrictions etc) add up to their tally of the mileage covered in the day.