NDA -National Defence Academy

                              Passed out of RIMC, on qualifying for NDA – The National Defence Academy, at Khadakwasala, near Pune, in December 1969, and joined the NDA in the 43rd Course, as a naval cadet. Was allotted ‘India’ Squadron in the  IIIrd Battalion. Interests at NDA included all sports,  in particular – horse riding, winning  the prestigeous ‘Riding Spurs’ in the  2nd term itself.

Picked up sailing , the sailing club was then under Lieutenant Commander Sushil Kumar Issacs, who was the officer in charge of the Naval Training Team and Peacock Bay, who later became Chief of Naval Staff. A.K. represented NDA at the first Cadet Class National Regatta held at Pune’s Royal Connaught Boat Club while yet in his  second term. Later was selected by the Yachting Association of India – YAI - to represent  India at the Youth Olympics, at Kiel, West Germany, which was the yachting venue during the Munich Olympics of 1972. Chinese was his foreign language subject during NDA, which he still enjoyes. Awarded Sports Blues for riding and polo, swimming, physical training, athletics, and the Sports Blazer for sailing and yachting at the NDA.

                                          Awarded ‘Best Diver’ for spring board   as well as fixed board diving.  Changed to Army as choice of arm, passing out of NDA in December 1972 as Best Army Cadet, best in bayonet fighting, best in academic subjects, and was awarded the President’s Gold Medal for being adjudged the best overall , having held the cadet appointment of Academy Cadet Adjutant. Commanded the NDA Parade during the 43rd Course Passing Out Parade.

                                          During that time, Commandant was Major General Gupta, Deputy Commandant was the legendary Commodore Ronny Pereira, later to become Chief of Naval Staff. The NDA Principal was Mr Bhavnani, other instructors included Mr Savardekar, Mr Keshwani, Mr Gauri Shanker, Mr Kuldip Singh, Mr ‘Pondy’ Sinha, Mr DD Agrawal – not to miss the legendary Drill SM – Kanshi Ram. Academy Adjutant was Major Trivedi. Even went for the 4rth  term ‘Camp Waterbaby’  for Naval cadets, before changing to Army cadet, the camp was conducted aboard INS Kuthar and INS Delhi,at sea. 

About NDA

                        Empirical lessons from the World Wars dictated the need for a joint Services Academy to train future leaders for combined operations. The vision of Lord Mountbatten in consonance with the sustained impetus and groundwork provided by Field Marshal Sir Claude J Auchinlek, C-in-C in India laid the conceptual foundation for a Joint Services Military Academy modeled on the lines of the US WestPoint. In 1941, Lord Linlithgow, the then Viceroy of India had received a gift of a hundred thousand pounds from a grateful Sudanese Government for building a suitable war memorial in recognition of the sacrifices of the Indian troops in the liberation of Sudan in the North African Campaign during  the World War II. A committee headed by Field Marshal Sir Claude J Auchinlek, after extensive studying of various Military academies around the world, submitted its recommendations to the Government in December 1946.

After independence of India in August 1947, this report was referred to the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Their suggestion for the formation of an interim Junior Inter Services Wing at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun was then implemented. A simultaneous action plan to commission a permanent war academy at Khadakwasla, Pune was also commenced and the foundation stone was laid by the first Prime Minister of India, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on 06 October, 1949.

                     On 1 January 1949, the Armed Forces Academy having its Military wing, now called the Indian Military Academy and the Joint Services Wing were commissioned. After two years of training at the JSW, Army cadets went on to the Military wing for a further two-year pre-commission training. The Naval and the Air force cadets were sent to Dartmouth and Cranwell in UK for advanced training. On 07 December 1954, the interim process crystallised with the commissioning of the National Defence Academy. Formal inauguration of the Academy took place on 16 January 1955.

Why Khadakwasla?

The National Defence Academy is located south-west of Pune City and north-west of Khadakwasla Lake on 7015 acres of land, out of the 8022 acres donated by the Government of the erstwhile Bombay State. The other suggested sites were Bombay (particularly Marve), Bangalore, Dehradun, Belgaum, Bhopal, Deolali, Jabalpur, Nasik, Puri, Secunderabad and Vizag.

'HMS Angostura' : mock landing ship at khadakwasla lake

Pune was ultimately chosen after careful deliberations for its salubrious climatic conditions, suitability of terrain for military training, proximity to the Arabian Sea, existence of an operational airfield at Lohegaon, vicinity of military establishments and the presence of a lake nearby. The existence of a combined training centre and the 'mock' landing ship, HMS Angostura on the north bank of the Khadakwasla lake lent additional leverage to the claims of Khadakwasla over other contenders for being chosen as the site for the prestigious NDA. It is befitting that the NDA is located in the happy hunting ground of the legendary Shivaji, with the daunting Sinhagad Fort as a panoramic backdrop.