Interview with Ex trainee cadet-Ankit Das (INTERVIEW)

This interview is undoubtedly going to inspire many who are preparing for the Indian Navy. Ankit Das retired as a trainee due to an internal injury in his shoulder. But his hard work and passion made him reach his dream and live the life of a trainee officer. If he would have been there in INA Ezhimala then this year would have been his year of passing. He would have marched in his very own Passing-Out-Parade. 

He achieved his dream and lived in INA Ezhimala for 2 and a half years. 

Profile photo- Ankit Das

An Interview

Q. Please introduce yourself from your early life to achieving your dream.

A-   Hello readers I am Ankit Das from Bhubaneswar. In short, I cannot brag about myself but yes talking about my early life, I was a healthy, studious, and not so game-loving student of Sainik School Bhubaneswar. My school was completely residential but I was a day-boarder. I had fun in school with my batchmates on numerous days but came back home after school time.

But I was really good at things which I did and those mostly included academics and study areas. Simultaneously I also read about defense-orientated news and Information. Being a cadet of Sainik School, I always had an interaction with various defense personnel and many Special Force officers which made me work out more towards an aim calling me for defense forces. So I started taking my NDA classes seriously and prepared myself for the written exam. At last, my studious habit paid off. It helped me qualify for 03 NDA/NA UPSC exams 03 times consecutively. The final output flew me to step into my dreamland, INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY.

Q. How and when did you decide to serve your career in the Indian Navy?

A- I was in my 6th standard when I joined Sainik School Bhubaneswar. We were motivated for the purpose of the school, which is to make any cadet feasible and motivated to join the defense forces. So likewise I started gaining interest in defense forces. But in standard 9th, our school welcome RADM K S Noor, as principal of Sainik School Bhubaneswar. He was a Naval Officer & really an influencing one. His outfits, motivational talks & behavior really made me tend towards the Naval Wings of the defense forces & hence my aim was purposed from defense forces to join INDIAN NAVY. 

Sainik School Bhubaneswar

Q. What motivated you the most and all other motivation for your dreamland?

A- My motivation started from my father & kept increasing after I joined Sainik School. My major source of motivation to serve INDIAN NAVY is my then principal VADM KS NOOR.       

Q. Did you feel any tough time of your life that made you go down to your worst? How did you overcome that period?

A-     Being a cadet, your life isn't meant to be smooth and easy. But we were trained and nurtured to take things swiftly & make the hardest times pass easily. We can easily blend ourselves with the hardest times and come out with a colorful result.

    No doubt I have faced a few many tough times in my life as well as in my academy tenure. The toughest time which I faced in Academy was the moment of a medical problem. My left shoulder was operated on for the tendon tear during the training period. This injury subsequently resulted in getting me to step out of my dreamland & my dream profession.

    It was the worst time I ever had till now, but with the tough time, you get good lessons. So I did learn a lot of things within this period about how to survive in the toughest situations & be happy in the worst times of life. 

    So now I'm a happy person in any serious times, and handle situations easily. Though I stress out at times then these golden moments of my life make me easily go through them.

Entrance gate Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimal Kerala

Q. Finally how did you feel when you stepped inside the campus?

A- I went a day earlier to my reporting day at the academy & was really excited about the time of finally stepping into my dreamland. I remained outside the campus in a hotel with my father for a day. The very next day on my reporting day I booked a cab to INA & there it was a huge & marvelous gate with INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY written on it. I felt a relief in my heart of finally making it into my dreamland. Everything inside gave sight to behold for the rest of my life.

Q. Please let my readers know what is life inside the campus? We have seen the documentary by Nat Geo but you can make us understand better.

Trailer: Inside Naval Academy

A-     Yes I will highly suggest the readers see the documentary of NatGeo that was made on the INDIAN NAVAL ACADEMY once. Because that documentary really shows how beautiful our academy is. It also shows the hardship that all the cadets go through during their training period, all the activities they do. But the clippings shown are all for the official purposes of INA.

    Our day starts in the morning at 0500 hours until late at night at 2230 hours. It goes on with a hectic schedule of heavy work activities, all forms of physical and mental training. All these are a must for officers on their battlefield if they ever land. On a normal day, our routine starts at 0500 hours. From 0530 hours till 0830 hours we have our morning outdoor activities, outdoor training. In which the activities included are swimming, physical training, or cross country run. 

    After that, we come back to our squadrons and freshen up for breakfast which has a schedule of 0845hours till 0930 hours. Then we move out for our academic period through the lanes. Our academic period is from 0950 hours till 1400 hours. Then we get 30 minutes for our lunch, after which we go back to our squadrons.

    At 1500 hours we have the squad muster and everyone prepares themself for either game, PET,  swimming again for outer activities. but this time the outer activities are done by the squadron seniors. It includes cross-country running, swimming, physical training, and all the stuff like these. The activities are decided by our squadron seniors. After the outer training, we come back for our evening squadron muster. 

    We have motivational talks by our seniors. This is followed by the evening muster at the mess. This is the place where the whole academy gets mustered and our attendance is taken. Then we move into the mess for our dinner. The routine does not end here we come back for our self-study period which is for 2 hours. This completes our 1-day routine. The time we get after this is fully ours we can do whatever we want at night.

    The most important thing that I think of insight of the academy that people don't know is the brotherhood we share. The bond of brotherhood with our course-mates our seniors. This bond that we share during our night reporting and every similar sort of thing are very memorable. They are always with us starting from our morning drills to late at night and till the end of our life.

Q. How did your family and social circle helped, motivate you?

A-     My family was really the pillar of my dreams to stand upon, they guided me & helped me in fulfilling my dream.

I remember one incident-

    It happened once during the conference day of my first SSB(Service Selection Board) at Bangalore. I came to know that I was boarded out. That day was the day when I saw my dreams shatter into pieces in front of my eyes. By the time I was just in 12th class, not so mature. I was so broken that I called home but to my fate, no one picked up the call.

    I was sitting in front of the SSB gate with a blank mind, highly disappointed, and broken soul. The situation tore me apart. A while later my father called me up, and the moment I picked the call, I start crying and said, "Bapa, sorry I couldn't make it through". The very next moment I heard my father also breaking down and telling me "whatever has happened it's fine & we are proud of you, just come back home safely, I want my son to get back home safely."

Ankit Das with family

    I suddenly stopped crying and consoling my father. I tried and made it a little fun to make him relaxed. I finally cut the call by with a promise of coming back home safely. That time I decided never to break down and never let my parents shed tears. 

    Then till my 3rd SSB, I was supported by many of my friends and especially by my family. Lastly, I was recommended for INA. So a hell of a lot of motivation and dedication made me fight for it over again and again.

Q. Maintaining a balance between campus life and the people who were close to you outside campus must have been tough no doubt. How did you maintain yourself in between?

A-     Our training schedule had 8 terms in 04 years. It was divided into two terms per year- Spring term 7 autumn term. and in each term of 52 weeks of training, we were entitled to a vacation of 04 weeks. So time was really hard to maintain the link with outside. We never got time in our junior terms to talk to our parents also, like I used to talk to home once in every 3-4 weeks, that too for 4-5 minutes. My friend circle outside the academy was totally cut off. Actually, we were trained to find our home away from our home, inside the academy & our brothers.

Routine inside Naval Academy

    The relationship is the one which is really hard to maintain and mostly that ended up with breakup with a long-distance reason. Only the relationship, which is entangled with trust & utmost love survives the academy life. Those are the relationship to behold for life.

    

    In senior terms, we get time for calls like 4-5 mins per week, so as your terms seniority increases you learn to manage time and relationships.

Q. What preparations one can do to pursue a career in the Indian Navy?

A- First of all, I would like to suggest checking your eligibility criteria of the defense service you would like to join, let it be any forces. The required candidates can fill the form on the official website of the respective forces.

Morning drill inside the campus

    And as per preparation, I can only suggest for +2 students who are willing to join the defense, as I have prepared for that exam. If you are really interested in achieving your dream, you have to work hard. Everyone knows this fact and will tell you to do so and this is true also. But for a competitive exam like this, your focus must be perfectly sharp towards your goal. To do so, firstly go through the syllabus of the exams and prepare accordingly. 

    Secondly, keep your GK really good & knowledge about the defense forces hereabouts and Info. Thirdly, engross yourself into doing numerous old practice papers of NDA/NA UPSC & be thorough on your preparation and question patterns. 

    Take a paper & set the timer of exam timing & honestly solve the paper by yourself. On completion of time check your on paper honestly and grade your paper. Finally, solve the total paper & know the correct answers and procedures. This is how you can prepare for your exam. Most importantly keep yourself physically fit. by having a small run & exercise on daily basis to keep up with the training. 

Q. Please share your life's biggest achievement.

A- My biggest life achievement till now is, that I have kept my hopes and my morale high. My morale never got down even in my worst time at the academy. When I was getting boarded out due to medical reasons. From my first term only I tried a lot for doing my overhead exercises but was unable to do it due to my injury in my shoulder during the starting phase of training in the academy. 

    But I didn't give up & tried my best as my instructions and seniors mentored and motivated me to do it. I used to train my body for about 12 hours a day to make myself for the pull-ups and toe touch exercise. But all went in vain, as I was relegated(back by 01 terms) on a physical training basis. I wasn't able to pass the physical standards required to clear my term. 

    My vacation weeks were reduced and I was called early to the academy for training and passing my physical activity. And the next term, the same story happened and my leave was canceled. I had to stay back in the academy for physical activity. The next term same situation occurred and my leave was canceled. I had to stay back in the academy for physical training. I was both mentally and physically exhausted by the end of 3rd term.

    When I requested my senior officials to grant me leave so that I can see my parents and have my body checkup. With god's grace, my leave was sanctioned for 02 weeks & came back home and meet my parents and for a body checkup. Here I was diagnosed with SLAP TEAR in my LEFT SHOULDER, which was on a verge of dislocation. I was operated on at MH KIRKEE & was on complete rest. 

    Later I resumed my training in a hope of being able to do my PT and pass my test, but all my efforts were in vain. As I resumed my training, my injury worsened and the operation didn't work as prescribed by the doctor. I ended up having another tear in my left shoulder and hence I was declared unfit for service.

    But I survived all this, till I was literally out of academy all sort of physical, mental, and emotional trauma and torture. I am really proud of what I'm doing right now. All credit goes to my life in the academy.

Q. Thank you for your precious time, would you like to suggest to our readers some precious lessons from your life. 

A- Thank you for thinking of me as valuable for your precious time. I would suggest to the readers- IF YOU THINK THERE IS A BIT OF HOPE OF DOING SOMETHING, YOU WANT TO LIVE FOR, NEVER EVER GIVE UP TILL IT CAN'T BE DONE ANY FURTHER. It's really beneficial as you will never ever regret in your life not having given it a propershot.