The Reunion !

                                 It had been three years since the batch of 2011-13 trained at Central Academy Dehradun had parted ways . Being such a close knit batch, we all had missed each other . However in the month of December 2016, a 7 days workshop was organised for the batch at CASFoS Coimbatore on Working Plan -2014.

                                The training was organised from 26-31st December. With a heavy heart , it being the festive season in Meghalaya, I left for Coimbatore along with Hamklet . It was a long long journey with having to chage flight twice including a agonising 7 hour halt in Mumbai Airport. Fortunately the presence of Hamklet by my side served to wean away boredom.

                                It was 9.50 PM when the flight landed at Coimbatore . As Hamklet and I were waiting for our luggage , suddenly I was embraced by a tight hug from behind and to my utter surprise it was good Ol'Sunny Verma. We had travelled from Chennai in the same flight but unfortunately out of sheer tiredness we did not see each other. Joy knew no bounds as we met each other again. Thereafter we all collected out luggage and boarded a OLA cab for our stay which had been arranged in a family hotel called Ananya's Nest near the training centre.

                               We then met Good Ol Rishi Mishra and Uday Dhage who had come along with their respective spouses. Thereafter we all settled in for the night.

                               The next morning, it was a joyous union as Urvashi Thakur,Seema D, Hemant Yadav ,Prashant PKM ( i still dont know his full name sigh)  , Harish ( still skinny like before) met.

                                                   

The inaugral session was followed by introductory lectures followed by high tea. Later in the afternoon we were joined by the Madya Pradesh Bandwagon in the form of dear ol Amit Patodi ( still same and jolly like before) , Sanjay ( still jolly as ever) ,Rakesh Kodape (with a jolly paunch now) and as a surprise in the form of Priyanka Chaudhary.

Thereafter , it was all a joyous selfie craze as there were no efforts spared to try and capture whatever moments we were able to share with each other again. However inspite of all this craze, we spared no efforts to learn from the valuable lectures that was taken that day at the academy .

Working Plan Excercise

8th April 2013   7.30 AM

                     Its finally here. The last major exercise of the training curriculum in the life of any forester and perhaps the most important one too. We were to stay in pitched tents for 15 days. After a hearty breakfast, we all pack our belongings armed with adequate stationeries and other provisions and set out for Thano Range led by our irreplaceable Chandershekhar who was to be our Group leader for these 15 days in camp.

10.45 AM

                          We all alight from our vehicles and get busy setting up our tents . As usual the butterfingers on me ends up with a nasty wound but i Take a rish and decide I wont take a tetanus shot. Hamklet and I decide to stay together  are assisted in setting up of our tents by Sunny and harish and Vijay. Two hours later, everyone 's tent is up and running.

1.45PM
                           After lunch our then Course Director Mr Surender Mehra arrives accompanied by Nidhi Ma'em and we set out on a field trip to get acquainted with the area . Surender sir explains how to go about the collection of data and performing a transect walk for wildlife survey etc. He is ably assisted by Nidhi Ma'em who painstakingly explains each and every detail over and over again till we are confident and raring to go.

9th April 2013

                         We are again taken out on a reconnaisance survey by our academy faculty and given a overview of each and every compartment.

10 th April 2013   7.00 AM

                          We had been divided into several groups. My group comprises of the able Prashanta PKM, ever jovial Vivek, Hemlata, Hitashi and Rakesh. Prashanta quickly organises the group and assigns different tasks to the different members of the group. We quickly get into the Academy bus who then drops us off into our assigned areas. We alight from the bus and then get down to business.
We then quickly enter the jungles of Thano armed with only our wits and equipment. I had been tasked with measuring the diameter of trees using a calliper. For a person who's held  a instrument for the first time , I was soon to become proficient in the use of the calliper as the days went by. We have our packed lunch comprising of parathas and achar in the sal forests of Thano. I dont exactly like parathas but hunger drives me to relish my lunch with Gusto.

Vivek  Modi demonstrates the use of a calliper

Rakesh with his Ranging Rod

                        Post lunch, we resume our work, venturing deeper into the forest guided by Vivek armed with his compass toensure that we were going in the right direction and that we do not stray into some other's group's compartment. . We return back to our starting point and discover that we are the last group to return.

                        Thereafter we return to our camp. Lokesh takes me to a Community bathing spot where i relish the cool water falling on me.

10th April 2013 7.00AM

               We venture again to our assigned compartments but this time we are wiser from the previous day's experience and so now are able to take data more easily. In the evening we learn that we are again the last group to return .

               Back in the camp, we end up in the local market which was to become our lifeline in the months to come. I order a double omlette. Omlette never tasted more delicious in my whole life.

             The days pass by rapidly. On one ocassion, my group got lost but however Vivek and his trusty compass led us back to civilization. One memorable moment was Vivek imitating the sound of the red Jungle fowl who came scurrying towards us fooled by Vivek's mimicry upto the distance of just a few metres away from us.

             Back in camp , I find out that Langurs had raided my tent and made off with eatables and our brighly coloured soaps .  I borrow soap from Prashant to take my bath.

Amit posing for the camera during one of the "Relaxed" moments :-)

Fastforward to 15th April 2013           8 AM

             Todays is the day of the socio economic survey . We make a beeline to the villages assigned to us and go about from house to house gathering Data. It however felt that the villagers were so used to batches comming every year that they could shoot off replies confidently.


16th April 2013   8 AM

Sanjay and Sunny hard at work compiling the data in a laptop

             I spend most of the day sleeping. In the evening, after a quck bath, we start compiling the data. Santosh and Sunny compile the data in the laptop and have it printed and distributed among the batchmates .


            The days pass by quickly . We had spent those days writing and compiling our Preliminary Working Plan which is to be shown to our faculty. However we all do make out time for the omlette and cold drinks in the local bazaar unfailing in the evenings .

20th April 2013 10 AM

                  Its Viva day today. Several high ranking officers have been invited to take part in our viva. I am the 6th one to be called for Viva, my board comprising of a CCF and Meera Ma'em. I choese to give my viva in Hindi. Unfortunately my lack of taxonomy knowledge leads to my undoing as i fail to be unable to identify a Sal sapling. Thereafter its local Bazaar time again as i head there for my daily dose of omlette there with Amit in the evening . I make a second trip later along with Vivek and Shezade. In the evening I again find that my tent has been raided by langurs with Hamklet cursing the poor animals in every language possible .

21st April 2013

                 We spend most of the day playing cricket with the local kids and volleyball. We even have a local tournament named Vijay memorial Trophy in which we would all try to play using Vijay's unique one handed style of playing Volleyball .

After a hearty Game of Cricket and volleyball

22nd April 2013  3 PM

                 We unpitch our tents and head back in the bus for our Academy relieved at being finally being able to be sleep in our beds again. For now its a brief period of Relaxation before we start on the task of writing the working plan .

Last Day in the Academy

13th July 2013


9.30AM

                         Finally the day has arrived. As the last duty officer, I have been informed by our Course Director Nidhi Ma'em that we would be relieved on the forenoon. Accordingly i inform my fellow officer trainees. I meet Our other Faculties Meera Ma'em and Sonzalian before i leave the building.As i am leaving,  I happen to meet Mr Negi our  PT instructor who warmly shakes my hand and wishes me the very best in life .

As i step out of the building , I take the opportunity to capture the beautiful Academy Building for the last time

11.30 AM

                        We make a beeline for the Academy office and collect our relieving orders and our service books from Satyajit . I go with Amit Patodi to do the same..somehow for a change, even the ever jolly Amit is strangely silent as we walk along the hallowed corridors of the Academy together for the last time. As my mom is undergoing treatment in Delhi, I have already made travel arrangements to leave for Delhi that very evening.

1.15 PM

                         Amit, Prashant, Harish, Mehraj and I go down to the mess room for the last time. We have our lunch together for the last time. It suddenly dawns on me that my batchmates have been my family for the last two years and that in a matter of hours we will all be going our different ways. I would be missing the loud chatter of Mehraj speaking on his phone or Khalid always greeting with "ki haal hain Hambert" or our beloved Chandershekar with his nonstop chatter , Lokesh Nirapure my wallmate for two years always banging my door to wake me up, Harish with his constant support Sanjay always bringing cheer to my face and making me smile even when i was down , those gandhi road jaunts to Mughal darbar with Sripati, our happy go lucky Lokpriya, and our 'bhai' Hemant who would supply me endless supply of sweets , Vivek with his trademark galis , Prashant whom I would always disturb and Sunny with his smart salute whenever he saw me and most of all, Amit who has always been by my side playing pranks on each other .

3.00 PM  

                         Khalid , Vijay and Mehraj are leaving. We hug each other as we see them off . I try hard not to show my tears .

                        A Few minutes later, its the turn of Lokesh to leave. we all see our Daddu off as he boards the auto. We see lokesh for the first time trying hard to hold back his tears as the auto leaves . Amit and I return back to our rooms and Amit helps me finalise my packing .

9.00PM

All packed and ready to quit room no.40 North Hostel

                 
Amit and I go to the South Hostel where we join Sanjay and his wife for a quick dinner. Amit and I share food for the last time. After that i go to Sunny's room who remind me to inform him when my auto would arrive .





10.20 PM

                    Naved, the autodriver I had asked to come and pick me up has finally arrived. As i take my bags down assisted by Amit, i find my remaining batchmates waiting down near the auto to see me off. Theres Priyanka Sarin, Urvashi , Mudasir, Santosh , PC , Hemant , Lokpriya , Seema H all waiting to bid me farewell. I hug each and everyone of them with promises to keep in touch. in the melee and flow of emotions , i decide not to see Sunny knowing very well that if I met him, I simply won't be able to control my tears no more. Sorry Sunny, you were simply soo dear to me that I couldnt bear to meet you for the last time knowing that I would have cried like a baby .

                      As i sit in the auto, Amit squeezes in next to me. As the Auto starts, amit and i silently travel. As we reach South Hostel, Amit quietly gives me a last hug and i hold back my tears as Amit gets down from the auto and we part our ways. The auto moves on and Naved the auto driver tells me that if I am ever in Dehradun again to definately call him again .

                       I tell Naved to stop when we reach the Main FRI building. I get down and take one last good look of the beautiful grounds around me which had been my home for the last two years. I get in, trying hard to hold my tears in as Naved started the auto.

11.55 PM 

                   I leave by the Dehradun AC express for new Delhi to be with my parents before I join active service serving the Government of Meghalaya with all my dedication and efforts. I recall my days at the academy as i am sitting in my seat.
                   I remember telling Hamklet on my first day at the academy that I would hate it here in the Academy but now realising that these Two beautiful glorious years in the academy were diamonds etched forever and shinning brightly in my life . All I can do for now is look at the photos on my mobile and relive each and every single day of the two glorious years gone by .

05.45 AM
I meet Prashant, harish and Uday at the station exchanging farewells. I look around in vain for Sripathi who was on the same train but I see him no more. So i Take the taxi to Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital  where my Dad would be waiting to receive me .

Convocation Day

9th July 2013 - Convocation Day 

Ready for the D-Day !

                      Finally the long anticipated convocation day is here. We all assemble well in time in the convocation hall of FRI main building knowing that this is soon going to be the defining moment of our lives.

 As the last Duty Officer, i do my part in ensuring that everyone is well in time and seated according to our roll numbers as instructed. The guests arrive and are seated and its showtime.

                      Mr Sonzalian IFS and controller of exams for our batch does the honours of announcing the results. First of all its our Abhijeet Joshi or our beloved Wood as he has come to be known. He scores honours marks. Then comes Amit Patodi followed by Arpiyush who also secures honour marks. Finally its my turn. My name is announced. i walk to the Dias, receive my diploma from the Chief Guest , shake Hands with the then Principal Mr Ashish Rawat sir and N Sonzalian and walk back with my diploma to my place. Soon the results are all announced with Sunny Verma a very beloved friend securing top honours and winning all the coveted awards .

                      Thereafter its photosession time with our then Course Director Nidhi Ma'em beaming all over as she poses proudly with her batch. She had taken over as course director after Mehra Sir had completed his term of deputation.

                    Thereafter, blazers fly in the air as graduating jubiliant offficer trainees and now full fledged Offficers celebrate the end of their training . End of two years of togetherness in the academy.Somehow  I am heavy in heart that two years of training ended so soon with I console myself that I have made many friends that will forever stay by my side .

Sitting according to our roll no.s at  the FRI convocation hall

Receiving my coveted Diploma from Gabryal Sir

Photosession with our coveted diplomas

the traditional coat throwing cermony as we dont have caps

Rain Dance

                            24th June 2013

                       Its been a very hot month with temperatures well over 35 degrees.
                       Finally when the rains come..we all rush outside. Arpiyush, Amit, Rishi, Ovais, Mudasir,Hemant and Sanjay all rush outside and soak themselves in bliss. I watch from the balcony of Sanjay's room prefering to stay indoors and capture on camera the moments which will be soon be nothing but memorable memories only in a few weeks time.


                   

Sripathi cooling off in the rain

First Day at the Academy

its the 14th July 2011.. Our first day at the Forest Academy. 

We had been informed to be present at the conference room by 9 am sharp. so at 8 Am , Arpiyush, Hamklet , George and I all Meghalayans trud down to the mess hall dressed in crisp white shirts and steel grey trousers and black shoes. There we meet Mudasir Malik a sharp savvy and energetic lad from Jammu and Kashmir . We get acquainted with each other. For now , the rest of the people in the mess room comprising of the senior batches seems so much strangers to us for now.

9 AM now
We gather at the Academy conference room. The faculty comprising of senior IFS officers on deputation greet us and introduce themselves to us. We learnt that Shri Surender Mehra a sernior IFS of then Deputy Conservator of Forest Rank has been entrusted with mentoring us for the two years as our course director .

fastforward to 10.15 AM

We are invited for a cup of tea with the faculty of the academy. We gather around the tea and samosas being served to us. I am then introduced to a jolly Man Sripathi from Karnataka who was to become very dear to me in the days to come, always mentoring us and guiding me whenever i got in trouble .

                            We were then informed that Abhijeet Joshi another fine lad from Jammu has been chosen to be our first ever Duty Officer.. a tasks which all of us would be entrusted with week after week. 

           We were then given a brief overview of the training curriculum of the academy.

to study 24 subjects and secure 60% marks..suddenly the feeling and pride of being newly appointed Forest officers was fast disappearing and student days were back with a vengeance.

We were informed by Mr Suyal an ex army man that we were to report to the PT ground at 5.30 AM sharp the next day.

Fast forward to 15th July 2011   time 5.30 AM

                               There we all are dressed in white tshirt and shorts in line as Abhijeet is instructed with the tasks of taking our roll call in the PT Ground. I marvel at the beauty of the place standing in attention in line for the roll call. Then suddenly Mr Suyal after a brief warmup leads us on a gentle run. 

In order to qualify for the surface we all had to run 25 kms in 4 hours but then at the end of the day, its the smell of Moov and painkiller sprays everywhere.

time 9.00 AM

                                 The gentle Saas Biswas a renowened Botanist comes for our class. I am too exhausted by the morining PT that i am literally sleeping sitting unfortunately in the first bench. I manage to sleep wake through the first class. at 10.30 kailash comes with tea and pakoras. I down a cup of tea in the hope that it will keep me awake. But in no time i am dozing off again in class. We are informed that BSNL is the only service available in the campus so we all are given address proofs by our Course Director Mr Surender Mehra and we all make plans to apply for BSNL from the local Panditwari market opposite FRI Gate.

Time 5.00 PM

                              We are again lined for evening PT and sports period. I am exhausted but managed to stay in line . We are made to play Rugby along with the senior batch which i played getting a scratch or two in the process. Soon its 6 Pm and we line off and break off to the soon going to be familiar 'Jai Hind'

                                               Arpiyush, Hamklet, George and I rush to Panditwari after a bath. We submit the requisite documents and get our BSNL sims which would be activated in a few hours. Then its back to Hostel after a cup of tea and samosas at the local shop. We report well in time for dinner dressed in the prescribed formal wear we have been told to always wear when ever we step into the mess hall. Thereafter after its time for dream land knowing that we have to get up by 5.00 AM for another PT Day....

******Goodnight Folks*****