Entertainment and Facilities inside NDA College
The National Defence Academy or NDA is the Joint Services academy for the Indian Armed Forces. Cadets of the three wings- Army, Navy, and Air Force are trained in the academy together for three years. At the fourth year, they transfer to their respective academies for further specialized training. The National Defence Academy is located at Khadakwasla near Pune.
For a person wanting to become a commissioned officer in the Indian Army, the academy brings them one step closer to their dream. Every year lakhs of candidates appear for the exam. Only around ten thousand succeed in clearing it. After rigorous interviews and the subsequent SSB exam, around 320 candidates are accepted into the academy.
NDA offers a full-time residential undergraduate programme. Cadets are awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Science, Arts, or Computer Technology after three years of study. These 3 years are spent away from home. The Academy becomes a cadet’s home for three years.
NDA College Facilities
The cadets at NDA get regular facilities like every other college. Facilities like spacious classrooms, hostel, mess, gym and indoor and outdoor clubs are available to every cadet. An individual cabin is allotted to every cadet with the basic resources upon entering the campus.
Cabins are allotted by a Senior Cadet Appointment Officer of each squadron. Food for the cadets is carefully planned and selected by nutritionists from Defence Institute of Scientific Research. The menu is fixed and remains the same for the entire duration of the course.
The NDA has fully equipped kitchens and well-trained cooks. The campus is also equipped with laboratories for students opting for Science or Computer Science.
The highlight of the campus, however, is the availability of courts, grounds, and rooms for various sports and activities. The Watermanship Training Centre allows cadets to be trained in swimming, kayaking, yachting, and rowing.
The center has a huge repository of equipment for the same. NDA focuses on providing facilities that will help the cadets hone such skills that will help them later in their service. The NDA campus is also equipped with a well-stocked library. The library has over 70,000 books.
The library is subscribed to various magazines and newspapers to keep the cadets updated. The library also has internet facility and cadets can browse the internet through here. The academy gives a laptop to every cadet at the NDA, which honestly, are not functional in the truest sense.
The academy provides a LAN connection in every room, though most of the websites are blocked by the academy.
Daily Routine of Cadets at NDA
Cadets have to wake up early at 4:00 a.m. in the morning, and after attending a morning roll-call, they proceed for their physical conditioning which includes physical training, drill, firing, etc. After the drill, cadets return to their squadron, take a shower, have their breakfast and head on to attend their classes till.
Punctuality is expected and cadets have to reach on time irrespective of how far the classes are. 45 minutes of break is given to the cadets for lunch. Sports play an important role in the army, and so 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. is allotted for sports. Football, Hockey, and Basketball courts are available in the campus and every cadet is expected to pick one of them.
After dinner, weaker cadets are escorted for PT. The cadets return to their cabins before lights-out which is at 10:30 p.m. The daily schedule differs as per the seniority at the academy.
Exams are held regularly at NDA. To improve the endurance of the cadets, exercises, and run-backs with battle load are held regularly, in which cadets have to navigate back while competing with other squadrons 40-60kms at stretch.
Read in full: Life of NDA Cadets and Daily Routine
National Defence Academy College Academics
Education forms an important part of the curriculum. Academics are taken up by a dedicated team civilian and service instructors. NDA promotes innovative ways of learning through inquiry, logic, and technology. Though it is not necessary to do well in academics as cadets can keep their merit scores high from training activity.
Entertainment inside the NDA Campus
The routine inside the NDA campus is so packed that cadets do not get time for themselves. However, one will not feel bored as a number of events are held regularly. These events include debates, quizzes, athletics, boxing matches, etc. Facility to screen movies is also available on the NDA campus. The presence of clubs helps cadets learn new skills and every cadet is expected to join at least one club.
Outdoor clubs include:
- Archery
- Astronomy
- Golf
- Automotive
- Martial Arts
- Aero-Modelling
- Trekking
- Rock Climbing
- Shooting
- Sailing
- Parasailing
- Paragliding
- Water-Skiing
- Wind Surfing
- Kayaking
- Rowing
- Gardening
- Skating
Indoor clubs include:
- Arts
- Classical Music
- Dramatics
- Media
- Western Music
- Literature
- Yoga
- Public Speaking
- Artificial Intelligence
- Robotics
- 10m shooting
Holidays to Cadets at National Defence Academy
Sundays remain off in the NDA. For official holidays like Holi, Diwali, or New Year only one day is allotted for celebration. The three years at the academy is divided into 6 terms and a month-long term break is awarded after the end each term.
However, this term break has to be earned. Cadets may need to stay back at the academy if they have punishments left to complete. Cadets may also be required to return early if they fail in PT, academics, swimming, or for a retest.
Additional leave can be availed through writing an application to a senior authority. Sick leave is granted for 3 weeks if a cadet breaks his leg or arm, or is suffering from other serious ailments. For marriages, deaths, or family problems, special leave is granted through the discretion of the commander.
NDA Outing Facilities
Cadets are allowed to venture out on Sundays provided they have no restrictions imposed on them. However, cadets are allowed to visit only the nearest market to pick up essentials. When venturing out, cadets have to wear their Mufti suit with tie and oxford shoes.
Public conveyance is restricted, so reserved autos are the only mode of transportation available for them. The market areas have senior officers sprawling around to keep a check on them. Cadets are given a monthly pocket allowance of 400 rupees which they can spend during these outings.