Mission Udaan

I had to get up at odd 4:30 hours in the morning; reach Air force training command centre in Hebal by sharp 6. I was one of the lucky contestants who got to participate in Mission Udaan contest which will enable 5 contestants to fly a Fighter Jet (read Sukhoi-30).
There were 300 participants and out of them 210 were asked to leave straight away after the first round, I being one of them…

The first round consisted of a race in which the contestants had to do the following:
A contestant would monkey run for 25 meters- both legs on ground and at least one palm touching the ground always; wouldn’t stop there at the finish of these 25 meters; would run backwards to the point he/she started; wouldn’t stop there after finishing these 25 meters; would run 50 meters on one leg and at the end of 50 meters, turn 180 degrees and run normally.

I was leading the race but on the third step, instead of running 50 meters on one leg, I ran 25 meters, turned 180 degrees and started running only to realize that I was the only one doing so. Then, it dawned on me that I had to run on one leg for 50 meters and not just 25 meters but I think it was too late by then though I completed the race and came fourth- Mentally not alert: Didn’t follow the instructions properly. Moreover, if I was not leading the race, I would have seen someone covering 50 meters and I would have got through…Sometimes you pay for being fast…

It also happened so because despite contestants asking the parameters for selection, the air force people only kept on answering that there were many. All in all, the first round was very easy.

It was continuously raining incessantly since 5:30 in the morning today.

Anyway, I was better off being in Air force area than sitting at home watching the idiot box or leafing through a novel, I am trying hard to finish.
There were shops of Barber, Flour mill, Sanjha Chulha, Canteen etc with a touch of modernity. It was a good day after all since I came to know that I have to be more alert mentally…

~Adios