Mushkil waqt, commando sakht.” That became our rallying cry during a two-day survival programme led by Para-commando Subedar Ramakant Chaudhari at DATA Resort, India’s first military-themed luxury glamping destination.

Just two-and-a-half hours from Mumbai, including a 40-minute off-road ride in a 4x4 military vehicle, you are led to the comforts of a luxury retreat amid the wilderness. Now add to that a survival training, at the heart of which is the 55-year-old war veteran Subedar Chaudhari, with a single mission to teach practical life skills often overlooked in formal education. “We send our children to the best schools for an education, but we don’t equip them with basic survival skills. Education is important. Survival is essential,” he says.