Make a difference, excel!

It was back in 1989. Just out of my teens when life, priorities and realities were different. Amongst the millions of youth my age back then a few of us, from various parts of India had one thing in common: We chose to dedicate our lives to the nation.

We applied, got selected and survived the rigorous training of the Indian Army. (Out of the estimated 5,00,000 people who apply to join the Indian Army as officers, less than 120 are successful every year.) We were from diverse backgrounds when first met at the Officer's Training Academy in Chennai.

There we were subjected to gruelling routines, ground to dust, thrashed first out of and then into shape. Our egos weren't bruised or battered - they were simply decimated!! Through these months of madness, in rare moments of reflection, we'd wonder about our lives.

Our classmates, relatives and friends in the real world were studying, fooling around or working while we were encapsulated, far removed from commerce, business, and the real world in general.

We had given up our families, our ambitions and dedicated our lives to the nation. We became each other's family and friends.

People from the real world called us fools and dreamers. "Why do you do it?" they asked. "It's not worth it," they insisted.

Were they right? Were we just insane?

Our endless days at the academy finally ended with some of us becoming proud commissioned officers in the Indian Army. We were posted to various units across the length and breadth of the globe.

Some were landed with peace postings in exotic locales while some of us were (at the tender age of 21) plunged into bitter and gory combat where we were tested in every way a human can be tested.

Some perished over the years, some wounded and maimed for life. Few of us are civilians now, while some still serve selflessly.

This is 2009, twenty years have gone by. I now look back and ask questions that have dogged so many of us for so long: Why did we do it? Was it worth it? Were we pursuing a dream or was it just insanity?

Looking back and looking around now, I know that if I were to live this life a second time, I'd do it all over again.

The answers to my several questions lie in one four word phrase: "It was worth it."

This page is dedicated to my brothers in arms, who aren't with us today: Sameer Ul Islam, Freddie Merchant, Rajiv Laul, Chandrashekhsr, Maj Bhandarkar and many, many others.

For readers who may not know the names mentioned here, you don't need to but you must know that they were real people like you and I. They however, gave their "today" for our "tomorrow" without even being asked. How can we pay them back for such supreme sacrifice?
Make your life worthy of their sacrifices. Don't be mediocre, make a difference. Excel in everything you do.

Written by Captain Vinod Nair
First published at http://www.idiva.com/bin/idiva/BlogPage?theme=Captains%20corner