Pushups at Hunter Squadron

The CNS at Hunter Squadron(pic thanks to squadron network)

 

The Naval chief, Admiral Karambir Singh is at National Defence Academy today to review the Passing Out Parade (POP). Last evening he visited his own squadron (and mine - Hunter Squadron) where he trained as a cadet 40+ years ago. Somebody posted pictures of him doing push ups with the cadets, and there has been armchair analysis of whether the chief should be doing pushups in ceremonial uniform instead of leading the Navy and doing bigger things that are worthy of his rank and stature.

Yours truly, Col Abraham Cherian with course mates during our 25th reunion

Tradition and Camaraderie Any ex NDA visiting the squadron and meeting the cadets in a 'fall in'(a gathering of cadets) at the Squadron parade ground gets down and leads push ups. That is a Hunter Squadron tradition. I'm sure other squadrons have similar traditions, its just that we Headhunters are possibly more religious about it. So, too bad the chief was in ceremonials, too bad he was the chief; he was and is a head hunter first - something that doesn't go away anytime. 

That spirit is what got me on an airforce flight from Bangalore to Delhi in 1995. My coursemates' helicopter pilot training was getting over when I landed up there on leave, as a 2nd Lieutenant. At the end of the ceremonies, those headed north were travelling by an AN32 flight and my buddy, Wing Commander Shantanu Basu, Shaurya Chakra, posthumous, told me, there's no space in the aircraft, but the pilot is a Headhunter. At 0630H, I was standing in front of the aircraft with its propellers running, all loaded and ramp shut, in my uniform(which I was carrying with me while on leave, for some reason!). The pilot opened the window and said, Pongo(slang for army cadet at NDA), get out of the way, you idiot! I said, sir, I'm a Head Hunter and need to get to Delhi. The ramp opened up, and I was on the aircraft, saving me a two day train journey. As simple as that.

That spirit got me free introductory flying lessons on a flight back from Siachen. I was at a post on the Siachen Glacier when I was told that my pilot's aptitude test and medical test (I had applied for army aviation before heading to Siachen) were to be held at Dehradun. When I reached Thoise airfield and lined up to board the transport plane, the copilot recognized me - he was another Headhunter, a term senior to me. When he came to know that I was going for my pilot's test, he made sure that I travelled in the cockpit and he explained all the instruments - attitude indicator, rate of climb, altimeter and a host of others to me. Needless to say, I passed the pilot's exam; its another matter that months of being at the target end during heavy shelling had degraded my hearing and I couldn't become a pilot.

I have done exactly the same pushups when I visited the squadron as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1995 while attending the Physical Training (PT) course and later as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2012. I still remember that a Colonel who was with us on that visit refused to get down from the car at his Squadron parade ground because we were in uniform, and he did not have his beret with him at that time - I forget the reason why. His reasoning - he was not properly dressed to go to his squadron, although he was 25 years out of the academy. 

Then we did it again during our 25th reunion in 2018, when there were no cadets around, just a bunch of middle aged guys, with their wives and teenaged children giving part embarrassed / part 'I didn't know you were like this, daddy!' looks. And a year later, when my daughter was in college in Pune and a cadet sidled up, asking her to the term end NDA ball, she scared him off by asking, 'which squadron?'. When he said 'Charlie' (no offense to Charlie squadron), she dismissed him saying, 'my daddy is a Headhunter'! It seems this spirit percolates to the next generation as well!

The point is, these traditions, that some would call immature and childish, build that common thread of camaraderie and loyalty among generations of squadron mates - the chief must be nearing 60, and the oldest of the cadets would be all of 20. 

The Naval Chief has nothing to take from the cadets, only give them a sense of belonging to a cult like team of buddies that spans generations. For Life.

Its not for nothing that NDA is called the 'Cradle of Leadership'.