ON THE afternoon of October 6 in 1949, when the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of the National Defence Academy, a glass case containing Indian coins of all denominations minted during that year and 12 newspapers published in the country around that time were buried with the foundation stone.
On Tuesday, January 16, when the NDA, India’s premier tri-services military training academy commemorates the 75 years of its raising, the star studded gathering of a large number of serving and veteran alumni, its cadets among others will be paying tribute to the academy’s glorious history and their memories at the academy.
The fascinating story of the objects buried along with the foundation stone is among numerous such memories which have been meticulously researched and presented for the readers in the book “National Defence Academy: Platinum Jubilee” by Dr Kishori Lal, an author and retired English professor from the academy.
Dr Lal says that the attempt was to bring to the readers a “pictorial biography of the NDA”. The book was published earlier this month.
Dr Lal, 76 who retired from the NDA in 2007, still spends majority of his time researching for his future projects.
When The Indian Express spoke with Dr Lal, the excitement of his beloved academy completing the 75 years of its journey was evident on his face.
“While the academy is now 75 years old, to go to the genesis of it, we have to travel back a little more in time. One of the major lessons of the second World War was that no single service could win any war. The three Services had to be fully integrated and functioning as a single strike force to be effective in operations of war. India’s founding fathers and visionary leadership took a conscious decision to depart from the Western custom of having separate academies for individual services. The proposed National War Academy was set up as the Inter Service Wing in January 1949. The tri-services integration is, if i may put it, in NDA’s soul. I have delved into this in detail in my book.”
The Academy was established as the Inter Services Wing (ISW) of the armed forces on January 1 in 1949 at Clement Town in Dehradun.
It was later renamed as Joint Services Wing (JSW). While the first course had commenced on January 9, 1949, the academy was shifted to the present Khadakwasla campus in 1954.
The NDA was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Bombay State Morarji Desai on January 16, in 1955. Thus, while the foundation year of the NDA is calculated from 1949, the foundation date is taken as January 16.
The shift from Clement Town to Khadakwasla was an operation that was codenamed Badli, which means transfer.
Dr Lal’s book tells an elaborate story of the operation in which the cadets of the ninth, 10th and 11th course had also participated.
“The herculean task comprised shifting not only service and civilian personnel, but also kith and kin, mess staff, stable, training gear, books and yes, a huge Naval mast. The journey was from the foothills of the Himalayas to the foothills of the Sahyadris. Originated in the place known for its legend of Dronacharya, Dehra Dun, the academy was shifted to the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji and brave general Tanaji Malusare, overseeing the Sinhagad Fort.” says Dr Lal.
Started on November 27 in 1954, the operation concluded with JSW closing down on December 7. Interestingly, standards of planning and execution of Operation Badli can be gauged from the fact that the total damage incurred during the transfer was “Rs 5 only”.
The book also describes in detail the architectural grandeur of the NDA.
The iconic building of Sudan Block of the NDA, has been built in, as Dr Lal’s book describes, a harmony of three stones.
“Jodhpur Pink, Basalt of Deccan Trap and Italian Marble. Basalt being the local stone, quarried on a mass scale in and around Pune, reduced the cost of the construction.” says Dr Lal.
He added, “The idea was to go to the minutest of the details. I believe that it is these details that make the memories more interesting.”
Behind the publication of the 262-page book, which comprises over 1,000 photographs including many rare onces, is the patient research and documentation by Dr Lal that is spread over 30 years.
The book preserves the archival records, historical information, milestones achieved and landmark parades reviewed by eminent personalities.
It covers more than one hundred eminent visitors from home and abroad including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip and Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw and their interesting anecdotes.
The book also recounts true stories of the real-time hero alumni of the academy who made the supreme sacrifice.
“While the book captures the history and geography of the academy along with all the physical features, I believe that it is an institution that has a beating heart inside it. The attempt was to capture its heartbeat.” says Dr Lal.