At 0530 hours on a freezing January morning in NDA on 5th Jan 67, on Juliet Squadron Parade ground, one cadet reported for parade in full uniform… except for one small detail — he was wearing a dressing gown. This is a NDA Cadet Story!
A biting winter morning. Breath hung in the air, boots struck the ground in rhythm, and the Squadron was forming up for the sacred NDA Prayer.
CSM Chugh was taking reports—sharp, precise, and fully in control.
Everything was exactly as it should be.
Until it wasn’t.
Unexpected Entry
From the far end of the parade ground, a lone cycle appeared.
At first, no one paid attention.
Then heads began to turn.
The figure looked… unusual.
As he came closer, the truth became impossible to ignore.
A first-termer.
In a dressing gown.
With perfectly polished drill boots and anklets.
The cycle stopped.
The cadet dismounted and took position.
CSM Chugh’s voice cracked across the ground:
“What on earth is this, Gentleman Cadet?”
Cadet Vinayak Agashe snapped to attention.
“Reporting for muster, Sir.”
Chugh stared at him.
“Reporting? In a dressing gown?”
A pause.
“Have you lost your drill order… or your senses?”
A few suppressed smiles flickered across the ranks.
DCC Mahara, watching from the side, added dryly:
“This isn’t a fancy dress parade, Agashe.”
But Agashe stood calm, almost disarmingly so.
No fidgeting. No explanation. Just steady.
The moment moved on.
The NDA Prayer began.
“Oh God, help us to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight…”
And there he stood—perhaps the only cadet in NDA history to attend muster in a dressing gown—yet as composed as anyone in full drill order.
Interrogation
After the prayer, SCC Charanjit Singh Bhatia called him forward.
There was curiosity now. And a hint of amusement.
Bhatia looked at him for a moment.
“Agashe… have you been watching too many Jerry Lewis films?”
A faint smile.
“Or is this your idea of starting the day differently?”
Agashe replied simply:
“No, Sir.”
Then, without embellishment:
“Sir, my drill order was ready. When I returned from the washroom, it was missing.”
A murmur ran through the squadron.
He continued:
“There was no time for pre-muster. I thought it better to report as I was, rather than miss the parade.”
It was a straightforward answer.
No excuses. No theatrics.
Just clarity—and a quiet understanding of what mattered most.
CSM Chugh turned sharply.
“Upadhya!”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Find out what’s happened.”
The real culprit
Sgt Upadhya didn’t waste a second.
He scanned the ranks and walked straight to a familiar face—Cadet R. Singh, known to all as “Tikka”.
“Singh… step forward.”
Tikka shuffled forward.
Upadhya adjusted his collar just enough to glance at the kit marking.
A brief pause.
Then, calmly:
“Sir, this appears to be Agashe’s drill order.”
All eyes shifted.
Chugh stepped forward.
“Is that correct, Singh?”
A reluctant nod.
“…Yes, Sir.”
“Couldn’t get your own kit ready?”
Silence.
“So you decided to help yourself?”
Another pause.
“…Yes, Sir.”
Chugh looked at him for a moment.
“Efficient.”
Then, quietly:
“But completely unacceptable.”
The matter was settled.
Agashe, despite his appearance, had reported for duty.
Tikka, despite being correctly dressed, had not.
A Lesson Beyond Drill
That morning, one cadet stood out for his presence of mind.
Another received a memorable dressing down.
Years later, Vinayak Agashe would go on to command submarines—INS Vagli and INS Vela—and serve with distinction during the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka.
Calm under pressure, it seemed, had always been second nature.
I met him again recently at a book launch in Pune.
We spoke of many things—but this story came up, as it always does.
And we both smiled.
Because that is the NDA or any Military Academy. In these academies, discipline is enforced—but it is presence of mind and integrity that truly make an officer.
Where you may arrive in a dressing gown…
but never without discipline.
Where humour finds its moment…
but integrity defines the man.
And where, long after the parade grounds are left behind,
the bonds remain just as strong.
Acknowledgement – Fauji Tales humbly acknowledges this story to Brig Ajit Apte(Retd), 37 NDA Juliet Sqn.
Note: The images in this article are AI-generated and used for illustrative purposes. They are symbolic and do not depict real events or individuals.
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