How many times is it that we look up to someone for motivation and get none? But today is not the day because the story of this NCC Cadet, N. Manish Kumar will inspire you towards your goals of having an adventurous life like the forces.
N. Manish Kumar is a cadet of No. 1[T] Air Sqn NCC (Air Wing). He is Cadet Senior Under Officer (CSUO) of his unit, the highest rank given to any NCC cadet and a ‘B’ certificate holder. He is in his final year of NCC right now.
Parallel to this, CSUO N. Manish Kumar is pursuing his engineering degree from a college in Hyderabad currently and being a very busy person he is, I was able to extract this little information from him:
How do you manage all this while doing your B.Tech?
“Once you are out of your school, academics should not bother you much. Just maintain a decent percentage over your academics and do whatever you want”.
But you have had 16 backlogs during your YEP? How do you explain this?
“The preparation for RDC starts from June-July itself, you see. It’s not a single camp but a series of 10s of camps which will filter out cadets for the final RDC in January. These camps are the Inter Unit Competition, Inter Group Competition, Pre-RDCs. Usually, there are only two Pre-RDCs but during our selection, there were 3! So, if it were not for that 3rd Pre-RDC, I would’ve attended my exams. But, you can always clear your backlogs and I’m left with only a 2 or 3 now, whose result is awaited. But if you miss this chance, then you miss a lifetime of opportunity. It isn’t about RDC as your destination. It’s about the journey that takes you to it and includes all highs and lows”.
The only eligibility to go for direct entry through NCC is an ‘A’ grade in ‘C’ certificate, what was the need to volunteer for these camps?
The simple answer is you will get more exposure. When you opt for national level camps like these, you are more exposed to officers in your surroundings. You sit with them, stand with them, eat & talk with them, walk with them, and all of this eventually inculcates the required OLQs in you. Even the assessors would prefer a cadet having a higher achievement than a cadet with just a ‘C’ certificate.
So, what are you future plans? Will you join the Air Force? Or any defence services?
No. That’s my second priority. I want to join the Indian Police Service and become a Police Officer.
Then what was the need of joining NCC? It will not matter anyhow in your IPS selections.
NCC is the best platform for average people to inculcate leadership qualities. It promotes your adventure spirit and makes you an extrovert. So, whether it has weightage in IPS selection or not doesn’t bother me. Unlike in the military, where your subordinates have to listen to every command your order, the police service requires the same with the civilians. You have to manage a civil population of different mind-sets accordingly. That’s not something you just order and people will listen.
We know UPSC selections are tough. What if you do not make it to IPS?
Then I will proudly join the defence services.
What one little advice would you give us, your juniors, from your experience?
The only thing I say is if you opt for achieving something big, don’t quit and backtrack. Your academics is going down? Let it be like that for a little while. You became sick? Gather all of your energy and go for a long run! Just don’t give up unless you are satisfied with your achievements and yourself. JUST DON’T GIVE UP.
