Day 3 MCTP: The Story!

Phase III runs has participants from different batches and you suddenly realise that your story was also their story. All batches had similar events, similar issues and similar memories. It is just that the actors change.


Again we had group photo session, again we had cultural societies and again people were rushing for Hot Maggi outside at Ganga Dhaba. For us, we continued with our walks and treks. Todays trek was to a nearby Buddhist Monastry.

Academy on their end taught us or let us say tried to teach us Behavioural economics and art of giving feedbacks. Not all of us were convinced how feedback would be taken, including by the academy. This encouraged fellow officers to give honest feedback to each other creating social disharmony in an otherwise aloof group. But we should give credit where it is due and faculty did try their best to explain these concepts.



Taking liberty with a couplet of Abbas Tabish:

"ये academy की कहानी नहीं मरती लेकिन
लोग किरदार निभाते हुए मर जाते हैं "

Day 2 MCTP: Academy is 'the academy'!

And how can it be 'Happy Valley' when sleepy probationers are mandated to be there at 6 am in shivering Mussorie cold for morning PT? A big concern during our earlier phase in LBSNAA was mandatory morning physical activity. There, the roaring sound of PT instructor (mostly Ranaji, the big moustached, old young man) echoed. Mostly he was shouting at dozing Officer Trainees who tried to pass off uncoordinated limb movements as PT.

This time we missed it and were there by ourselves for in the PT ground(timing though now was 6.45am). Academy also gives multiple options like Gym, Cycling, Yoga, PT etc and for the first day we opted for Cycling. There is a cycle that we have seen and then there is a cycle with 3*8 gears and welcoming steep slopes of the mountain. We negotiated with the terrain and cold, but came back happy (and often boasting) to the Happy Valley.

Lectures reminded us that they still are the best lullaby. On a serious note, most were interesting. An instructor rated us the most critically analysing group in present politico-social eco system of the country. We were not sure what it meant but found it flattering. Then there were sessions on Eating right, iGOT and e-learning facility of DoPT. Always there are questions of fellow participants whose sole contribution is delays in tea break timing.

But despite all this academy is 'the academy'!


  

Day 1- MCTP LBSNAA

After more that ten years, I am back at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), this time for Phase III. I started blogging sometime in 2006 and most of my blog posts were during the period when I was at the academy (2007-09). This time let me try to write daily entries for four weeks I am at this place.

The first thought that comes being back is nostalgia of last time; oh here we sat sipping tea during session breaks, here we walked in the evenings and here was the last time we sat with a friend who is no more with us now. Also the thought that academy has changed significantly. The quality of rooms is much better this time (or may be we are somewhat senior). There are new hostels and buildings.

On the academic front, first day was not that hectic. Cabinet Secretary Sri Rajiv Gauba was here along with DoPT Secretary Sri C. Chandramouli. Their lectures were reassuring and they touched about the role and challenges for IAS as a service. Academy Director and other faculty were genuinely warm and good.

A long walk in the evening refreshed old memories. Mussoorie is beautiful (and cold too). It feels


good to be back at the learning desk, good to be a student again and great to be back at the academy!