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Sentinels of the Himalayas
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ITBP Academy turns people into brave-hearts |
Physical fitness is an extremely important aspect of training. Cadets
here are seen practicing karate
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Pravin Sawhney and Ghazala Wahab
Mussoorie: After several days of overcast sky and occasional snowfall, sun finally came out on January 21. In the hill town on the Shivalik range, winter sunshine is not about weather alone; it’s about the spirits as well. The early morning sunshine had brought cheer and a sense of well-being with it at the ITBP Academy. “We are very lucky,” says Commandant Anil K. Phool, in charge of the combat wing at the Academy.
Sitting at the viewpoint at an elevation of nearly 6,000ft above sea level, with
the Academy sprawled all around, he says, “We are located on the eastern slopes
of the range.
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On clear days like these, we get sunshine from morning to evening, unlike the IAS Academy, which is on the western slope.” No mean comfort this is, given that after their training the ITBP personnel will get posted to border areas at the heights of 9,000ft to 18,000ft above sea level. A windless, sunny winter day would then be a luxury beyond imagination.
Though the Academy does not simulate the operational life that would follow, it does give a flavour of what being a Himveer (or sentinels of Himalayas), as ITBP personnel like to call themselves, means. Deputy director of the Academy, P.K. Dhasmana (deputy inspector general) says, “While our training is oriented towards conventional warfare, much on the lines of the Indian Army infantry battalion, we focus more on physical fitness, because our deployments are such that there can be no compromise on that.” |
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