Sounds strange, right? Let me explain.

During my school and college days, I was very passionate about NCC as all CADET trainers were, and, as most NCC cadets, then & now, had plans to join the defence forces and dreamt of reaching the pinnacle. Alas!!! It was not to be.

Though I entered a different profession, the passion for NCC did not go away but was lying dormant; peaking its head now and then. I wished that I could, somehow, stay connected with the organization which had given me so much (lessons in confidence building, how to be a team player, etc.) which was instrumental for any and all success in my career. No such opportunities were in sight, or, maybe, I did not look around hard enough.

However, in 2018 I heard about EXPA and the CADET training program and how this organization is working with NCC to train cadets in realizing their potential in qualities which will help them for the betterment of their careers and, in life.

After a couple of false starts (me being the reason), I, finally, attended CTOP5. The day I got the news of passing the training program I was looking forward to going to an NCC camp and training and being with cadets, to experience the long-cherished atmosphere of camps.

Finally, I got that long-awaited opportunity in the EBSB camp in Chamba (18-19th June 2022). What an exhilarating experience it was!!! On the day that training ended, I was praying fervently that I will be selected for another camp for which I had registered. My prayers were answered. I got to do another camp, ALC at Raipur on 9-10th July 2022.

With each camp, I realized that not only am I training cadets but I am learning many things from my teammates. What can I say about them!!! From exceptional team leaders (Raj for Chamba and Saroj for Raipur), I learned new facets of leadership. They, and other members of the team (some my contemporaries and some younger but far more experienced trainers), taught me the nuances of imparting the training.

As I will be going back to sailing in near future, I had decided that Raipur ALC will be my last camp. However, as this camp ended, again, I started praying that somehow I should be able to go to another camp before going back sailing.

If this is not an addiction then I don’t know what it is and hence, the title.

However, I cannot thank EXPA enough for making me an addict of the CADET program. On a lighter note, I think all the EXPA CADET program pages on social media should include the following warning:

“This program can be addictive and candidates should register at their own risk.”

Author
Mahesh Joshi
NCC Batch of 1988
CADET Trainer, Captain- Merchant Navy

As a CADET trainer for the NCC, I work with young people (19-21 y-o) on some weekends of the year, talking to them about soft skills and how important these are in life. Eventually, by the end of that weekend, these cadets get really comfy talking to us and confiding in us trainers.

I think one of the reasons they do this is also because we are not their parents who’ll reprimand them, teachers who’ll cut marks for saying things or friends who will judge them.

Let me describe one such incident. One of these girls from one such camp connected with me long after we had worked with her group. I received a message from her saying she needed help and wanted me to speak to her parents and stop them from ‘arranging’ her marriage. She had already chosen someone to be her life partner and was afraid to tell her folks about it.

Now I was in a dilemma. Not because I was thinking of whether to speak to them or not, but because I had to send out the right message. So I told her that she needed to fight her own battles, that she needed to voice her opinion peacefully, listen to perspectives and then decide what to do.

Now, you may ask me: Why did I not speak to her parents about her relationship? I certainly could have, but it’s just that, as an adult, I would like to help a young person to understand everyone’s point of view. In this case, the girl needed to understand what her folks are saying as well. Secondly, when people tell you about themselves, they tend to give you only their versions and those may not always be the one and only version, right?

So, bottom line, I think as adults in the lives of young people, we create an impact when we deal with the answers they seek. How we respond to them is critical. You don’t want to be the one to instigate someone (boy or girl) against the family they are part of. It is up to the person to be able to approach adults, take them into confidence, allow for all to see the different perspectives that are out there and then make informed choices.
IMHO we should instil in them the faith in themselves to deal with situations amicably.

What do you think? I would love to hear from you what you think and what you would do differently if you were in my position.

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