Taking the challenge, cadet style

Maj Gen JS Kataria (retd)

Classroom audiences are often found sleeping and snoring. This is especially the case when the listeners includes senior officials on training and the subject is ‘Policy and governance’— an ideal brew for a morning siesta, a challenge for any speaker. This is what was going through my mind when I accepted an invitation from an institute of leadership development and executive education in the NCR. The audience was a group of 25 mid-level bureaucrats from West Bengal and the event was the very next day.

When my wife came to know of the engagement, her looks said it all. But the die was cast and the soldier in me saw no reason to give it a second thought. After all, an officer and a gentleman never back out.

Stories and anecdotes have been the playmates of speakers. How could I be different when it came to catching the attention of the intellectuals from Bengal!

Years ago, on a chilly morning, cadets who had just joined the National Defence Academy at Khadakvasala, Pune, were marshalled into the swimming pool. The ustaad asked for a volunteer who could jump from the 10-metre diving board. There was pin-drop silence. He roared: ‘Is there none to take this challenge? Shameful!’

A cadet stepped forward and volunteered. He briskly went up the steps, and before anyone could blink his eyes, jumped into the pool. Realising that he was not a swimmer, the ustaad shouted at the lifeguard to fish him out.

The cadets were both aghast and amused. Fuming, the ustaad asked the cadet the reason for accepting the challenge when he did not know how to swim. His response was that accepting the challenge was more honourable than the risk involved. Moreover, he was sure of propelling himself out of the pool.

Could the cadet be labelled foolhardy? The answer is no. All those who join the defence forces, or even the bureaucracy, are often required to negotiate uncharted terrain. Calculated risk-taking and continuous learning are inherent in the business of ‘public policy and governance’. Often people hesitate to accept a challenge and adopt a laid-back approach. They need to revisit the words of George Bernard Shaw: ‘A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.’

On my return home, observing the glint in my eyes, my wife remarked that the ‘cadet’ seemed to have proved it again that it was impossible to win great prizes of life without running the race!

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.