And indeed, an experience for life!

Donning the uniform as they say, is the most prestigious as well as the hardest to get. I always had an inclination towards joining army but never really knew how to go about it. So this December, I was called in for SSB(obviously i applied!) in Bhopal. Before going I never thought that it would come out to be one of the best days of my life so far. Those five days that I spent at the selection centre gave me so much to remember that I would  cherish it for the rest of my life.I would not write about the tests, procedures, the selection criteria cause that you can find in end number of websites but I will definitely share my experience  that I wanted to pen down the day I came back. 

So there were some hundred and fifty girls, all dressed up in their sport's outfits , high ponytails, pouring with enthusiasm,chirpy and confident but sophisticated at the same time. We were told to be present at the Bhopal Station on time and so till we waited for the bus to come, we casually intermingled with each other. Everybody was hiding their nervousness behind their smiles but somehow everyone knew the stress that was on. The first day was just an introductory one, filling forms,verifying documents, giving us our chest  of the numbers, alloting us our rooms and at the end of the day we were packed in rooms with some six girls in each room. That night nobody really talked much as the next day was the "Day" which would decide whether we stay for the next four days or leave. I passed the screening and forty of us were left after the day one. We were allotted new rooms with new people, new chest numbers and everyone had that awkward look on their faces( it always happens when some random girls are put together.) We had to leave our names before crossing the gates and our chest numbers were our identity at the center. We could never leave our rooms without wearing our chest numbers. Everyone was cribbing about the phones being taken away. So no social networking, no watsapp, no calls, no late night conversations, it seemed as if the whole world came to a standstill. This practice of not having our phones for four days came out to be the best part of the whole stay. We were talking to new people without any screens in between. We made the best of friends in those four days, and we are still connected, like really. 

Their wasn't much difference for the hostlers because we ate in the mess, had a habit of sharing rooms, bathrooms etc. The only difference was we were made to sleep at ten so that we could get up fresh at four in the morning for our tasks. Waking up at four in the winters was one of a task for everyone. Sleeping for those extra five minutes till the other roomies used the washrooms was a bliss. Nobody could enter the mess without formals or their track suits. it was very different feeling of imagining a good officer's life. The girls of the previous batch who were the recommended ones, had a very confident look on their faces and we were so fascinated by them. They told us about their experience at the center and what all happens during the medicals. Everyday we came back with new adventures, tests, stress, and enjoyed our evenings at the canteen. Gradually we shared our secrets, our life back at our colleges, offices, and so talking for half and hour in the room was the most awaited part of the day. 

We had this IT room for calling which had the landlines placed at some four corners. Girls on the phone are like polar bear hibernating,(you would see them after hours). Nobody ended the call before an hour or so. There was a boys batch simultaneously with us so the poor boys never got a chance to even touch the phones. The manager at the IT place was forced to place a separate phone for them. We were lucky enough to be allowed to go for movies inside the army cantonment. It was an open theater with a huge banyan tree just behind the screen. The last day just before the final selection we were told to pack our bags in the morning itself and keep them in the luggage area. Leaving our rooms with the luggage looked like those reality shows with a sad song playing in the background. The results came out in the presence of the whole batch in a very formal way and those who were recommended for the medicals, were so calm and composed. All this time, while waiting for the results I was thinking if I am selected , what would my reaction be. Face covered with hands with that Oh my God look on my face or very calmly smile at everyone gathering their praises and astonishment at the same time. Before I could decide  my take on that, the results were done away with. Out of forty, only four were recommended and taken away for the next round of interview, while the rest of us were dreaming about getting there. 

Nobody really knows the criteria the SSB follows while selecting and rejecting candidates but nobody questions it. It is fair as they scan you in and out in those four days. The rest of us, not the recommended ones got our phones back, some calling home, others booking tickets for return and some taking each other's numbers. We were stuffed in the army bus and dropped at the same place where we were picked up from. But this time we had a lot to take back!!!