The Wonder Years From the Indian Army diaries

ldquoArmy kids are more adaptablerdquo Cyrus Sahukar VJ actor My dad was a Colonel in the Army and my grandfather was in the Army as well I was in fact born in the military headquarters in Indore I have not experienced much of Army life as my parents separated when I was still young But Army life is surely different from civilian life I experienced it as an adolescent and it is akin to being part of a completely different setup Army kids grow up with activities like horse riding You pick up a lot of things and interact with other Army kids It is a whole world in itself Army kids are more adaptable and disciplined than others The opportunity to be disciplined is a lot more for them It becomes part and parcel of who they are ldquoEverything is taught by examplerdquo lt Gul Panag Actress Belonging to an Army background teaches you how to adjust under any circumstance On an average you end up changing schools 814 times and thus develop an ability to adapt to the omnipresent change of surroundings You also develop an understanding and adherence to hierarchy this interpersonal tool helps in every industry and even in informal interactions The ability to know what to say to whom makes the difference between making friends and enemies As an Army kid it becomes second nature to manage interactions in a hierarchical structure Also everything is taught by example mdash we observe and learn I was inspired by my father Lt Gen Retd HS Panag a punctual disciplinarian who turns up at events before time as he respects the other personrsquos time In contrast I am not as disciplined and I worry about the lessons I will pass on to my children A bonus is the incredible network we develop across the country So if I am stuck in a remote corner in India my father will be able to direct me to someone for help ldquoArmy kids have a secular upbringingrdquo Ranvijay Singh Sangha VJ amp actor When I was born my paternal and maternal grandfather Col HS Sangha and Major Jeevan Singh were in the Indian Army My father Major General IS Sangha is still in the Army and my brother and cousins are also Armymen I was to join the Army before I got through the Roadies audition and now I am the only guy in my family who is not in the Army As kids we went to the best schools and had a modern and disciplined upbringing There is a reason why Army kids do well in the media mdash we have been travelling all our lives and are never out of place anywhere be it a jungle or a fivestar hotel Our lifestyle has always been adventurous and outgoing Also we have a secular upbringing it was only when I started interacting with the outside world did I realise that there even is such a thing as religious biases ldquoThe Army keeps you groundedrdquo JJ Valaya Fashion Designer It was wonderful and refreshingly different to be an army kid A life in cantonments is something else Civilians will never quite understand that When one grows up in an environment replete with discipline and customs it is natural to imbibe some of these qualities My sense of discipline and commitment comes from growing up as an Army child and from my father Secondly by virtue of his postings I got exposed to different parts of India and made friends from diverse cultural backgrounds Different schools every three years also contributed to my ability to adapt with new people and a new environment Lastly growing up as an Army kid keeps you grounded there are no tantrums whims or unreasonable fancies I was fortunate because by the time I reached an age where I could register things my father had moved up senioritywise so I was exposed to the best life that the Army could offer mdash huge bungalows guards all around special privileges at the mess mdash those were the good times ldquoI learnt the importance of disciplinerdquo Nikita Anand former Miss India I enjoyed the Army life I had the opportunity to meet lots of new people and visit new places There are many aspects of Army life which is appealing but I really liked that itrsquos so huge There are the Services the Navy the Army the Air Force mdash all integrated into one large closeknit family extended across the country Itrsquos great feeling to be part of such family My father was a double specialist Army doctor so fortunately we didnrsquot have to be uprooted every year But being in the Army I travelled to different cities while growing up I learned to adjust adapt and met new people This exposure helped in the allround development of my attitude They say you are a product of your environment and growing up in an Army family has taught me the importance of discipline honour and respect for onersquos word and the sense of organisation Army life has also taught me to be a fighter These things helped me when I participated in the Miss India competition It has made me what I am today Did you know Army Day commemorates the changing of guard when Lieutenant General later Field Marshal KM Cariappa took over as the first Commander in Chief of the Indian Army from the last British commander Sir Francis Butcher in 1949 u00a0