In Quest of the Last Victory, 2nd Edition

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Training in the Army

National Defence Academy

I still remember that day like yesterday, when, on a rainy evening in the autumn of 1991 (28th of June), I entered the majestic Academy in a valley surrounded by greenish blue Sahyadri hill ranges, just as it was getting dark. Despite my physical fitness I had butterflies in my stomach. Training, at this Academy, was believed to be the toughest anywhere in the world. I had heard tales about the torturously rigorous training at the Academy.

On my very first day there, a few seniors asked me which corps of the army I would like to join, and I said, ‘I want to join the Special Forces, the commandoes.’ They all laughed. They said, ‘After you see how tough it is, you will change your mind within a few ...