𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 NDA

Dehradun Defence Academy

10:00 PM

After an intense workout and GTO (Group Testing Officer) practice session, the entire academy buzzed with camaraderie and infectious energy. The Class 11 results had just been announced. While these results might not matter much to the outside world, for defence aspirants, every exam is a crucial step toward their ultimate goal. They believe that each challenge, no matter how small, must be faced with full dedication and effort.

Alongside the academic results, the sports achievements were declared—and as expected, he topped once again. The entire staff congratulated him, acknowledging his consistent hard work and outstanding performance. Everyone was confident: his selection in the SSB was just a matter of time.

New admissions for Class 11 had begun, and with that came new responsibilities. The task of managing the admission process was handed over to the senior cadets—Class 12 students who had just cleared their 11th. Leading them was Anay suryanarayan, a name synonymous with excellence.

Anay wasn’t just good at everything—he carried himself with a sense of discipline and maturity beyond his years. Whether it was organizing meetings, managing logistics, or guiding juniors, he did it with quiet confidence and clarity. As the academy prepared for the NDA journey, the staff believed that instilling leadership and responsibility early on was vital.

Teachers entrusted Anay and his team with organizing the upcoming parent-teacher meeting, arranging lunch for guests, and compiling the list of interview candidates. And Anay , with his composed demeanor and sharp sense of duty, ensured every detail was handled with military precision.

Anay was seriously arranging the interview PPT on the computer, typing like a mission commander defusing a bomb. Just then, the door creaked open slowly...

“Umm bhai kya tasty hai…” Veer walked in, his mouth stuffed with samosa, crumbs falling like confetti.

Anaydidn’t even look up. “Sir ne tujhe entrance student ki interview list banane ki zimmedaari di hai… ya woh bhi tum samose ke saath khaa gaya?”

Veer sat down dramatically, holding his samosa like it was an Oscar.

“Yaar! Itne dino baad alag-alag khana mila hai… maine toh pehle hi din se ghar ka khana miss kiya tha. Aaj jab parents ke naam pe buffet mil raha hai, toh pet aur dil dono bharne do. Le bhai, tu bhi le!”

He shoved the samosa toward Anay’s face like a salesman forcing a free sample.

“Nahi bhai, maine breakfast kiya tha,” Anay said, still typing.

Veer’s eyes widened like he’d seen a ghost.

“BREAKFAST?? Usko breakfast kehte ho? Kabhi kaccha kela milta hai, toh kabhi aisa pakka hua ki chhute hi chipak jata hai haath mein. Mere toh trauma hai us peele chipku se!”

Anay chuckled, finally glancing up. “Aur entrance exam? Ye toh sirf start hai. Teen din baad phir ek hai.”

“KYAAA??” Veer gasped, his eyes sparkling.

“Matlab phir se samosa milega? Bhai yeh toh NDA nahi, National Deliciousness Academy lag raha hai!”

Anay laughed, finally giving in. “Chal na, mere liye bhi le aa.”

Veer looked offended. “Mai kyu laun? Tu la.”

Anay folded his arms, pulling his classic serious face.

“Aree bhai, kitne dino se kuch accha nahi khaya... le aa na. Chal jaldi ja. Tu mera bhai hai.”

Just then, Akshit barged in.

“Aree suno suno! Anay bhai serious mode se emotional mode mein aa gaya!”

“Yeh wahi banda hai jo sir ke saamne RAM RAM bhi sanskari style mein karta hai,” he added, laughing.

Behind him, Ishaan entered slowly with hands in pockets, chest puffed, clearly doing a "main ab senior hoon" walk.

“Arre kamino! Le aa na samosa,” Anay said with puppy eyes.

“Arey iske haath mein samosa aaya toh hamari izzat gaya!” Veer said dramatically.

“Matlab, jo thodi bahut izzat bach gayi thi, woh bhi chali jaayegi!”

“Kaunsi izzat?” Akshit deadpanned.

“Hum toh thehre kamine immature cadets. Academy ke background dancers.”

Anay rolled his eyes. “Drama queens.”

Then Ishaan spoke up like a mother in a TV serial, complete with imaginary dupatta.

“Nahi jaa sakta bechara… woh samosa dene wali aunty maregi use. Kaha le jaa raha hai hamara baccha! Main jaungi. Main samjhaungi us aurat ko. Sirf ek samosa hi toh mang raha hai mera bacha…” He fake-sobbed and held Kabir’s face like a protective maa.

Anay & Veer (together): “HEINNN??”

“Aur nahi toh kya! Aunty toh samose se zyada attitude serve karti hai. Kal toh chutney dene se bhi inkaar kar diya… bola, ‘Cadet ho ya collector, chutney extra nahi milegi!’” Ishaan added.

“Aree chutney toh thi explosive. Ek chammach mein SSB crack ho jaye,” Akshit laughed.

Anay threw a cushion at them. “Bas karo, National Drama Academy ke launde!”

Veer saluted dramatically.

“Reporting live from Samosa Section, DDA battalion—Field Marshal Kabir Shekhawat requesting snacks support at 0900 hours!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Somewhere outside, the samosa aunty probably sneezed.

At night the same day 10:30

"Yarr bhuk lag rahi hai yaha 7 baje khana khate hai itni jldi kon khata hai hamare yaha toh 10 baje tak nhi khate the " Veer said remembering how his mother used to feed him

"Sahi baat hai bhuk toh lag rahi hai " Ishaan said

"Par aab kya kar sakte hai acchar hai par uske sath kuch toh lagega " Akshit

"Kal ki tarah rice leke aate hai na niche se "veer said a sparkle lightning up his eyes

"Nhi hai rice aab dekha tha maine khatm ho gaya hai aaj " Said anay folding his clothes for tomorrow

Every one look at him in amusement

Aww mera baccha dekhne gaya tha rice ko aunty ne mara nhi teko bacche aaj " Ishan spreading his arms as if calling anay to hug him

Shut up " Anay being irritated fron his banter said while a smile on his face

Ek idea hai "said anay .

Time: 11:47 PM

Location: DDA Cadet Mess Kitchen

Mission Briefing: Retrieve samosas. Don’t get caught. Blame Veer if you do.

The squad was assembled:

Anay– The Planner

Veer – The Stomach

Akshit – The Overconfident One

Ishaan – The Drama Queen/Security Scanner

Outside the mess kitchen, the cadets were crouched behind a bush like bargain-bin commandos.

“Alright,” anay whispered. “Target: Bottom shelf, steel dabba, code name: Samosa Vault.”

“Roger that, Major Snack Attack,” said Veer, adjusting his fake night-vision goggles made from cut Sprite bottles.

“This is madness,” whispered Ishaan dramatically. “If aunty catches us, she won’t serve us sooji halwa for the next month. Are we ready to sacrifice halwa?”

“Yes,” everyone nodded solemnly.

“Also, you’ve already been banned from extra papad. So don’t act innocent,” Akshit added.

Anaygave the signal: “Move out.”

Like badly-trained ninjas, they crawled across the garden—except Veer, who stopped mid-way to tie his shoelace... and eat a biscuit he found in his pocket.

They reached the back door.

“Ishaan, toolkit?” anay asked.

Ishaan confidently pulled out a… steel ruler and a hairpin.

“Hollywood se training li hai, bhai.”

The lock clicked open with pure jugaad magic.

They tiptoed into the dark mess kitchen. Everything was silent… too silent.

Anayopened the fridge. Empty.

Akshit opened the steel dabba—Success! 12 perfect samosas, sleeping like golden babies.

“Jaldi! Samose nikalo, foil mein lapet!” anay whispered.

“Ek chutney bhi uthale?” Veer asked, already chewing.

Just then—CLANGGG!!

Ishaan knocked over a stack of steel plates.

Lights ON.

And there she was.

THE SAMOSA AUNTY.

Hair tied, rolling pin in hand, eyes glowing like a boss-level villain in a video game.

“Bachchon… soney ka time hai. Samosa ka nahi,” she said, voice calm but terrifying.

Everyone froze.

Except anay,who stood straight and said:

“Ma’am, national security ke liye tha. Cadet morale dangerously low. Samosa was the only way.”

Aunty squinted.

Then smiled.

“Sab jhooth bolte ho. Par tum sabke chahre bhooke bando ke jaise lag rahe. Jaao. But kal ki PT double.”

“YESSSSS!”

The boys saluted her like she was Chief of Army Staff.

As they walked back, victorious, Veer whispered:

“Bhai… chutney reh gayi.”

Anay slapped his forehead. “Next time, Operation Chutney.”

They went to their room had had their samosa party while laughing and chatting.

Next day.

The sun had barely shifted from its 3 PM laziness when the academy auditorium turned into a mini war zone of nervousness and excitement. With nearly 400 freshers gathered, the pressure was real.

But not for Anay .

Dressed in formals like he was hosting a TED Talk, anay stood on stage, mic in hand, and said calmly:

“Intro time. One by one. Don’t panic. This is not a courtroom, it’s a warm-up.”

No one moved.

It was that awkward silence where even the fan sounded judgmental.

Then, from the back, Akshit marched forward.

“Oye tension kyu le rahe ho? Yahan koi tumhe judge nahi karega. Galti hui toh hum guide karenge. Jitne bhi yahan hai, sab ek hi mission ke cadet hain—NDA crack karna.”

The ice finally broke.

One by one, students started introducing themselves. Some fumbled, some froze, one even forgot his name for a second and said:

“Hi, I’m… I… uh… roll number 43.”

Veer whispered to Anay

“Lagta hai roll number se NDA join karne ka plan hai.”

As the intros continued, Samriddhi took charge of the girl cadets. She calmly answered their rapid-fire questions:

“Uniform ka color kya hai?”

“PT kitni baje hoti hai?”

“Sir daante toh nahi?”

“Girls’ hostel mein ghost toh nahi?”

She handled it all like a boss.

Meanwhile, Ruhi and Ritu were helping students rehearse their lines backstage like it was a fashion show—“Chin up! Smile! Confidence! No umm-umms!”

Avyansh, being the quiet, observant one, walked around fixing posture and reminding:

“Don’t slouch. Speak with your chest, not your shoes.”

Soon, the energy shifted.

What started as an intimidating session turned into a mini party of encouragement. Students were clapping for each other, correcting each other politely, and even joking after messing up.

One cadet came and said:

“My aim is to crack SSB and serve India... but first, to not faint on this stage.”

By evening, as the last intro wrapped up and the crowd dispersed, the team exhaled.

Mission Interview Practice Accomplished.

As the students left for their homes, Anay , Veer, Akshit, and Ishaan dragged themselves back to their boys’ hostel—conveniently just next to the girls’ hostel.

“Bhai, aaj toh leadership bhi karli, crowd management bhi, aur event hosting bhi,” Ishaan groaned, throwing himself on the bed.

“Aur free mein. Paisa milta toh TEDx bhi kar lete,” said Veer, already opening a packet of secret hostel Maggi.

From the girls' hostel, faint laughter echoed.

“Aaj sab sahi bola. Aaj ek bhi banda stage se nahi bhaaga. That’s growth.”said anay

Akshit nodded, mouth full of chips.

“Aur kal breakfast mein jalebi hai. That’s motivation.”

Veer ask while being inside the blanket full on sleep mode tried from the hectic day

“Bhai... jalebi ke saath doodh milega kya?!

And evey one smack their head.

Khatamm!!! Chapter 😁😁