NCC 2: Camps and their types

 

What comes to your mind when you hear the word camps? I wish to know, drop a comment below. When I ask my non-NCC friends what do they think about NCC camps, they tell me it “It must be wonderful, an amazing place to stay, great food to eat, huge military equipment, at least a few wonderful guns”. I wish it would have been true. A very few, top-level camps have that, in fact, a life way better than that. It could have been that in all the camps, but the amount of money that is required is too much. But I will tell you, what different camps are like.
Different types of camps take place under NCC. They can be broadly divided into general training camps, special training camps, selection camps for various competitions, and an annual camp. The basic difference is the purpose of the camps which reflects minor changes in the camp or additions of elements.

I have been a part of 8 camps – 7 camps of 10 days each and 1 camp of 30 days. Each camp, in general, has a 10 days duration, the first day being an introduction and the last being a closing ceremony and party.

Daily life in general

Camps typically starts early for cadets, for there are 5 times minimum the number of bathrooms available. They have to wake up by 4, to make sure they complete the morning activities and report to the ground as early as 5:30. The parade starts at 6. There is a morning warm-up - a lot of general exercises, a long run, and a few drills related exercise after which the cadets take the breakfast. The break is around 45 mins on average. Then the first drill of the day starts. A lot of basic drills, or the one that is required by camps. There is a lot of new training in the initial days and we are told about the mistakes we perform. The lunch follows, acting as an hour break then comebacks to drills. There is a small break for energising drinks, then an evening report followed by snacks. The evening is a time where the instructors spend with us, talking about their experience. Giving us the insights. In camps with cultural competitions, this is where we come down to in the evening. We practice our respective cultural acts if any. Like I was a part of the act that glorified Odisha, since the competition was supposed to be in Delhi, for all the 17 directorates representing all the states of India.

Irrespective of the pain it brings, of the hours under the sun, being punished on road, of being constantly shouted upon, the result that it turns you out into, it all makes sense. Not only good in the drill, or firing a weapon, but the personality that you end up becoming. It is just wonderful, what I turned out to be. And each of the camps taught me something. I am writing about it in the next blog NCC 3.