The officer and the instructor

Almost all the senior officers we spoke to at the college say the officers never forget their Young Officers course, that they remember their instructors and batchmates forever.

“This is a very impressionable age and YOs carry memories of their instructors,” says Colonel Sharma.

R Prakasan, a Junior Commissioned Officer and the L/70 instructor who has been training young officers for the last 16 years, says he pulls up his students when they make mistakes but respects the entire team. Though junior to his students in military rank, JCO Prakasan is referred to as ‘Saheb’ by the young officers.

The other indoor training activity is conducted by senior officers, mostly between the ranks of major and colonel.

“Defending our country is our main task," says Lt Ratna Malik, the daughter of a serving army officer, providing an insight to the training process at this point of their fledgling careers. "But since we are not fighting a war right now our aim is to be prepared for that eventual day. Besides that we do a lot of things -- administrative jobs in the regiment, for instance. As an officer you have to take care of your jawans, there are other administrative matters which is all part of our work.”

Reportage: Archana Masih. Photographs: Jewella C Miranda