“Do you have it in you?”- My SSB Experience

Chest no. 1 was it that they used to call me, my name was almost lost during those 5 days of my SSB(Service Selection Board) interview.
Starting from the form filling of CDSE, I remember that I was never serious about joining the Defence services. I still remember the day when Sandeep(My class fellow a dear friend) was filling up the form and asked me to fill it up too..He himself brought the form and gave it to me. The same unseriousness was with the exam, We just went to the examination venue, without having any preparation for it.Exam was on 14th February, spoiling the awaited plans for that day. My exam centre was at Lodhi Road, which coincided with some of my friends.
We all gave the exam blindly but thankfully and fortunately the exam wasn’t tough at all, it just required a little bit of common sense and logical thinking. After it, we all were busy in our Practicals, Exams and our lives. The time went on, and we simply forgot about it. Now, was the result time, I didn’t even know the Result date and the site where to know it from. Once again my friends helped me. It was in June 2010, on checking the result, I found only me and my brother cleared the exam from all the friends, who applied. This was ironical in many respects. Little later in few days. we got the call letter too, from UPSC, instigating the venue, date, terms and conditions, of the SSB interview.


Our venue was in Bangalore and the date we had to reach there, was 23rd of AUGUST by 3:00 pm. Excited as were we, we waited anxiously, booked the tickets, arranged the necessary requirements as predicted in the call letter, and reported the Bangalore City Railway Station, on the desired date and time. It was then, that Our trip towards astonishing and surprising standard of life began. There were around 94 aspirants in our batch waiting for their luck and hardwork to ripen. At the scheduled time, We all were in the bus, a bus of ‘Indian Army’, and in few minutes, we have entered the Selection centre South, Bangalore.
The day of reporting wasn’t included in the SSB interview 5-days’ Schedule. It was just to fill up some forms, which included, a PIQ form, a TA form, etc. and allocation of barracks to the candidates. We were eight fellows in a barrack. Then comes the first day.

24th Aug
It was the screening day. We have to report at 6:00 am, so everyone woke up at 4:00 am, to get ready.The screening included a series of tests which decides whether you are required for next 4 days to assess your qualities or you are sent back the very first day. The tests included : an intelligence test, a PPT(Picture Perception Test), a narration, and a GD(Group Discussion) on the stories made by Group fellas to converge onto a single general consensus. The way it went for me, I thought I would be screened out. The result was shocking, the guys who we felt had a better chance were screened out. only three in our roommates, and 59 in all 94 were selected. rest were sent back the very first day. This was the thing, which was not pleasing. You can’t be sure of your selection at any cost.
The chest numbers were re-given to all 59 candidates. Being the youngest, I was given Chest No. 1. Rooms were re-allocated, and so we had new roommates for once more. The day ended in a confusion, I was asking myself what went wrong with others that they weren’t selected, and what went right for me, that I got selected.

25th Aug
It was a psychological test day. There was a booklet given and a series of tests, were there, to check out the state of mind, level of thinking, reaction to situations. The tests included An aptitude test, SRT(Situation Reaction Test), WAT(Word Association Test), Story Writing, etc.
The same day after the tests were over, many of us were called for the interviews, usually the candidates are called in sequence but interview may not be done in sequence necessarily. First 10 candidates were called for the interview and it was taken individually at different places and in random order. Mine was 17 SSB(Indian Army Board), some had interviews in 12 SSB(Indian Navy Board), thus IO(Interviewing Officers) were also different.

26th Aug
Now it was an Outdoor Task day, where we had Group tasks. Firstly, we had a Group Discussion on a topic chosen by us from the topics given by GTO(Group Task Officer) among the members of each group particularly. There were 6 groups each containing 9-10 candidates, and each group had there own GTOs.
In GD,first we got the topic ‘What is the biggest problem faced by India today among Corruption, Global Warming, and Terrorism?’
and the second topic ‘In current Education System student are facing extreme pressure from there peer students, or teachers or parents?’
After this, We had Military Planning test. There was a sitution given with a no. of problems occuring simultaneously, and you have to find solutions to those problems within the specified time limit and with the resources supplied.
Then there was GT(Group Task) where a series of obstacles are there, which a group has to cross with a set of materials and a set of rules.
Then there was a Lecturette where each of the candidates had to speak on a chosen topic for 2:30 minutes infront of his group members.
Then there was a Half Group Task, where group was further divided into two, and each one has to perform the task same as GT.
Then comes the most interesting part ‘The Snake Race’, I would prefer you find it yourself what it basically is .
Then comes the IO(Individual Obstacles test) which was a test of your physical agileness, strength and your confidence, thinking. There were 10 obstacles to cross individually in 2:30 minutes. Each obstacle specifies a given no. of points.

While some groups had the GT going on, some had there interviews.

27th Aug
The final Group tasks include CT(Command Task) where each individual has to command his two chosen group members while performing a task. It is done to check his leadership quality and participation.

28th Aug
Now comes the Conference day, the day deciding the fate of all the candidates. This day all the three, the Psychologist, the IO, the GTO, sit together to decide who is in, who is out. If all three say Yes, then only the candidate is recommended. The thing they look for in a candidate is OLQ(Officer Like Qualities), and what qualities are those are still hidden in many aspects to the real world. The Conference has a formal procedure where each candidate in their Chest sequence, has to meet all the three testers simultaneously.

Then the results,(the result may come good or bad, but the anxiety before it is always same ). In our Batch N-CSE/68999 only 7 were recommended for the medical test, rest had to leave the same day. I was in the rest, so could not tell much about the medical tests, but I know, those tests are secondary, the prime focus is always towards getting RECOMMENDED, and the first step towards becoming an Officer of Indian Army.



Though I didn’t get selected and I know I never had so much preparations or confidence towards joining Armed Forces, I will never forget those days. Those 5 days though sent us back unsuccessful, but we didn’t returned empty-handed, We had a exciting, cheerful and inspiring experience, which would help us all our lives, it changed the way we think and execute our plans, how we talk, walk and be in groups, it changed the beliefs and our way of living.
I am thankful to my friends, Our Indian Armed Forces, and their selection centres to rekindle the dead spirits in me. The age limit is 23 for the Indian Army, and I am 21, so, I do have 2 years more to try again. And I will not miss the chances now, anyhow….

One statement of the wall posters of our barracks that still roams in mind every now and then and will always do is -

“DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOU?” -Indian Army

I can’t say about you, but in my point of view if you are above 18, you are just an adult, and if you want to be a MAN, then join Indian Army.

Take care.

Ajaz

‘Jack of all trades’ or ‘Master of one’????

Life is never the way, it is supposed to be..
But it can always be, what we want it to be…




Drowned by the mighty shakes of life, I sometimes feel, that life is not worth living, in fact never it was, But many a times, small cheers, may be a sweet smile of a young kid, may be a warm hug by the one whom you love, can entirely change your expert views and thinking..

It happens every now and then, and its true too, that Bad times are followed by Good times, but, how if we think vice-versa..
“Good times are followed by Bad times” Its just the way of thinking, may be its just the other side of coin, which changes the entire meaning. Thus my kind of thinking may appear to people as simply absurd or idiotic, or may be logical to others, but that is what I am. I am not a pessimistic as such, but i do look at both sides of the coin.

I am a thinker(however I don’t know, what I think, is what I am supposed to, but who cares…), who generally have a diversified class of views and interests, and the same is sometimes great and sometimes harmful. These kind of attitude has many a times favoured me, as at least, I like doing all those kind of stuff which I am supposed to do, but many a times, I have feared it, and thought, why didn’t I stuck to an appropriate one, and chose it to be my destiny, and given my whole life to it. This kind of feeling, comes to a lot of people of my age, and it is what everyone fears. But, my question is, Is it a matter of just feeling sorry to, or is it a matter of pride for all of us? Can’t we have ‘Jack of all trades’ kind of philosophy in our lives, or, there is an absolute necessity for everyone of us, to ‘Master only one‘.
They say, you can’t master all, but one… but then will that ‘one’ suffice for you, for your entire life, if you aren’t that kind of a person?… i don’t think so. I am not here show which one is good and which one is bad, I am here just to discuss both. After All, it s just the matter of choice and selection, how one want to lead his/her life.

However firstly,let us stick to the latter philosophy and discuss,
Its just a matter of background and the family interest that, you chose what your interest is to be. Thus Mastering it also depends on the same. Thus, the support or rising opportunities at different steps of life, is that what contributes to the essential growth. And the area of interest itself helps in the growth of individual as a person, nurtures his qualities, talents to fullest utilisation.

However if someone from different class of group and background ‘tries’ to acquire the ‘different’ interest(may be because of it rising popularity or a rising exposure), it is for sure that he can’t be as good as the natives in very aspect of it (I think its a fact), but who cares, about this. May be that ‘someone’ never even thought of acquiring this interest, may be he was never inspired, may be he was never pulled up, may be he never got opportunities, may be he never got exposed to such things, but still who cares. No one is interested in knowing how you started, but on, how you ended.

“No one is interested in knowing how you inserted the seed in the soil, how you nurtured it, how you watered it, how you protected it from Sun and Pollution, but the awaited focus is always on the fruit which you get from the tree, If its sweet, ya its a good tree :-) , else, sour fruit, bad tree :-( “.

The ending result should be level up (always expected).
This kind of thinking is what to be changed from the minds. I don’t know how to do it, but surely know that it has to be done.

Now Secondly if we talk about ‘Jack of all trades‘ philosophy, a much easier thing to focus on according to my thinking, but, it might be difficult, for many.
‘Jack of all trades, Master of None‘ – It follows for those kind of persons who usually can never focus on one area of interest. Their ideas, views, constantly fluctuate. This kind of attitude is at times favourable. But at times, it can keep you out of the race. The background also here plays a major role in determining the fate of the individual. It is responsible for the kind of thinking that ‘someone’ has, and may be course of life teaches him the same. This is not a matter of feeling guilty about, because if properly guided and worked hard, the life is gonna be, how it is meant to be.

In all posts, we never reach to the satisfactory conclusions, I hope this one will do the same, however there is still a chance of finding solution to the posed problem in your minds, or atleast think about it( And that is what my motive has always been).
Should one be ‘Jack of all trades‘ or ‘Master of one‘???? :-P

Please help me

I dont know why.. but i am feeling really very restless..today..
“Pata nahi apni zindagi ka kya hoga..jis cheez k piche bhagna chahiye..usse door bhag rahe hai..aur jis cheez se door bhagna chahiye usk piche bhag rahe hai”

My main motive of writing this post is to just get some counseling..from all you intelligent minds out there..
Our session ends in other two months from now (if we keep Semester exams away)..And I am not sure till now..about what i should do..after my grad. and what should I prepare to achieve that.
My interest includes :
Programming, and all kind of technical stuffs that involves computers and technology. But the main problem is..i dont know what are my skills and my features. I dont know whether I should go for M.C.A or M.Sc or M.B.A or M.S(Houston programme-MSF) and what are their career prospective in future. If I know this I will surely find out what i have to do.
Please do write a comment to help me or ask anything for me..
I would feel grateful to receive counseling from you.

Please help me.

A new start

A very very Happy New Year to all of you..
2009 :- The previous year 2009 had a lots of happy as well as sad remembrances.. but overall the last year was an awesome year..
As they say,..”Time and tide waits for none”.. The year 2009 also passed away leaving memories which we’ll never forget. This was the year where we entered in our final year of graduation with lots of hopes and determination to successfully complete it with awesome good marks.. B-)

Being it the last year, we all collected the memories of it with our friends by celebrating our last time with our friends, but the books are still out of reach

2010 :- This new Year brings a lot of opportunities and resolutions to make..

We should take this year as a new chance to achieve our motives and succeed in our lives. We all know that whatever we do this year, will decide our future career. As we go on with this new year, let us wish that whatever we do this year favors our life and our future. We will work hard, enjoy hard, play hard, and learn hard
Let us hope that we will start this new year on a good note, we will keep an optimistic approach to whatever we do, and that too in a rocking style.. . We will help others and will try to make others’ smile. This resolution may seem to some kind of teaching, but truly speaking this is the essence of all of our happiness, which we need.

Top Ten Resolutions to make on this new year:-

1. Enjoy Life( No Worries)	2. Reach office on time	3. Spend time with friends and family	4. Go for Trips & Outings
5. Keep House Clean	6. Quit Drinking & Smoking	7. Say no to junk food	8. Buy & Read Books
	9. Workout & Exercise	10. Write Diary

A very very Happy New Year to all of you…