Pragmatic thinking should be the order of the day and we must not let emotions cloud our minds
The nationwide lockdown has been extended again till mid-May and there are different opinions emerging across the country, depending upon one’s means of livelihood, place of residence and political affiliation. But one thing is for sure, people are fed up of the shutdown. The prevailing scenario reminds one of the days spent at the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, near Pune, as a young cadet. In those days career options in India were very limited. Doctor, engineer, IAS, IPS, journalist, lawyer or teacher, were the preferred choices but they involved long years of study after school (class 10), before one could join the chosen profession. On the other hand, within four or five years of joining the NDA, people barely out of their teens became Commissioned Officers of the armed forces, drawing a handsome salary package apart from the thrill of wearing starched uniforms with stars on the shoulders. Most of us, apart from other motives, preferred to join the forces under a notion that it would mean an end of academic studies and we would be spared the cumbersome burden of reading books and passing exams. But after joining the respective services all our dreams were shattered when confronted with voluminous studies during various professional courses of training, for passing compulsory promotion exams, which were mandatory not only for promotion but also retention in service. Incidentally, these exams proved the waterloo for many officers who were compulsorily discharged from service.
The training in NDA was spread over three years and was divided in six half-yearly terms referred to as “spring” and “winter” terms. The tough academic and training regime included a foreign language, physical fitness, hobbies and outdoor training with emphasis on discipline. The official training regime was laced with the unofficial regime known as “ragdha” (punishment) which was the privilege and prerogative enjoyed by senior termers and appointment holders. This part of the training aimed at making us “men from boys” and was meant for mental toughening, building tolerance and developing unflinching camaraderie. Thus, every cadet wished to finish the rigours of training, pass mandatory academic tests, keep a clean disciplinary record for the entire term and look forward for moving to next term with his batchmates (known as course mates). Any faltering could lead to the dreaded “relegation” which implied repeating the term along with the junior batch. At the beginning of each term, one enthusiastic cadet would take it upon himself to maintain a record of “Days Left to Go Home (DLTGH)” which signified the end of term. It began with 180 and everyone eagerly waited for it to reach zero. They also hoped to qualify for the next term, till they reached the sixth term and finally passed out from the NDA. This meant moving on to service specific institutions like the Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, Indian Airforce Academy before realising the cherished dream of becoming a Commissioned Officer.
Before the end of each term, many cadets suffered from what was commonly known as “end of term fatigue.” To overcome this fatigue, the seniors used to increase the frequency and quantum of “ragdha.” This kept most of us motivated to pass out and avoid relegation. But there were a few who were overtaken by the “end of term fatigue”, leading to lax performance. This, in turn, meant sure-shot relegation. The after-effect of it was realised only in the next term, which meant joining a junior batch, making new friends and above all spend additional six months at the NDA.
These days our nation is also going through a similar phase of lockdown fatigue. The voices for lifting the lockdown have increased each day and this extension is certainly not helping calm frayed nerves. The economy is definitely on the downtrend and unlikely to pick up in the near future. The Government is faced with a very tough situation. It has no choice but to keep the lockdown in place to protect the nation from the onslaught of the Coronavirus. But the fact remains that we have still not succeeded in flattening the curve. There is no vaccine against Covid-19 as yet. Whatever success we have achieved so far is due to pro-active administration, self-discipline, social distancing and the lockdown. Can we afford to remove all these restrictions and allow free mixing of the population once again? Overtaken by fatigue, if we slacken now we may have to repent later and may have to suffer endless lockdowns. Pragmatic thinking should be the order of the day and we must not let emotions cloud our minds.
In the Army there is a popular saying, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war”, meaning sacrifices made during the time the going is good pay rich dividends in the hour of crisis. We should be prepared to follow the same. So, my fellow citizens, let the lockdown fatigue not overtake you. Prepare yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and financially (tough but can be achieved through better self-management) for difficult times ahead. How long these unpredictable times would last is very difficult to predict at this stage. But go through the history of the world and you would realise that great nations have emerged stronger at the end of each adversity. Our nation is undoubtedly great and is blessed with great leaders, too. Let us be of good cheer during this lockdown 3.0, in national interest and work with determination to make up for lost time once the shutdown ends. After all, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
(The writer is a Jammu-based veteran, political commentator and columnist)
