Republic Day Camp – An overview

 You know the feeling when you give your best mentally, physically and emotionally to achieve something and then you arrive at the door of that thing/place? The gates of the NCC headquarters at Delhi was that for me. The entire contingent felt so great. Just to taunt us, one of our accompanying trainers, a Subedar, told us not to be too excited until we complete the camp. Well, we hardly thought anyone is going to be thrown out. And no one got actually.

We had made sure we do everything to reach there, and it felt like heaven to us while we entered the base. It was unlike any other camp around. Outstanding accommodation, single individual beds plus almirahs, a really big mess that served us 28 states food in 28 days of the camp, a great parade ground with multiple practice grounds.
Two tanks, a small pool for Navy cadets to train as well as run the model boats and a place for Air cadets to fly their model planes around were also present to make it a complete package. To add on to that, the place had a wonderful Museum with history of NCC as well as the here armed forces and their connection to NCC. A photo gallery, where the existing photos were added and you could buy copies of them if you want. Kalpataru (meaning a tree that grants anyone wish) was the name of the complex/ hall that housed may shops, mostly related to eating snacks and chocolate or drinking soft drinks.

The place also had all basic elements- post office, saloon (only military cut), a cobbler’s place, a NCC badges and medals store (which sold you the medals once you have earned it already) an CSD canteen. It has a wonderful horse shade, for the horses from each state which have come to participate. A store room for each directorate with two carts to take things. We had a muddy area in front of our buildings- to showcase some art and unique things from our home directorate.

A lot of description, sadly I don’t have a picture. I will tell you about my experience in the next blog.