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*****