Ms. Arpitha Muralidharan is a third year Psychology student of our college. She is a part of NCC. She was selected for the Republic Day Parade 2021 and was awarded the Best Cadet Award in the Senior wing category - Navy and received the baton from the Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi. She was interviewed for Rivett 2021.
Arpitha Muralidharan with her award in Delhi - 26th January, 2021
How did you feel when you received the award from the Prime Minister?
I was pretty nervous when I was waiting to receive my award because a lot of officers from all over India and many cameras were watching me. While receiving the award, I was happy and proud, and it was a mixture of emotions. After receiving it, I felt normal once again and didn't realise the depth of my achievement. Only after senior officers came and spoke with me, I realised that it was no ordinary thing and not every girl my age could do it. I'd watched the videos of my predecessors receiving the award multiple times but I still couldn't believe that I had achieved something like this.
There are certain requirements to take part in the Republic Day Parade. Tell me about them and how you became eligible.
There are a series of selection processes. It begins at the college level. Then there are selection processes at Unit level, State level and finally you make it to the selection process conducted at Delhi. I competed for the Best Cadet Award. For that, there were written exams which included General knowledge questions and Current affairs, drill test, group discussions, lectures, extempore and interviews as part of the selection process. Only if a cadet performs well in all the tests, will he/she be selected for the Delhi camp. I had to participate in 3 events, Best Cadet, PM Rally and Rajpath. I am in the Navy and under this category only one female cadet was selected from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Directorate and from 26 cadets who were selected to represent Tamilnadu.
“I am in the Navy and under this category only one female cadet was selected from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Directorate and from 26 cadets who were selected to represent Tamilnadu. ”
Tell me about your journey - From enrolling in NCC to standing in front of the PM.
It was a very very long and hard journey. When I joined NCC, I wished to be a part of the Republic Day Parade but I had no idea how to get in. After finishing my first parade in college during first year, ANO Captain Ms Selvamalathi told me that I could be selected for the Republic Day Camp (RDC) but I had no hope and felt that I wasn't fit enough. Suddenly, there was a nationwide lockdown and I was in a dilemma not knowing whether RDC would take place. It was very difficult for me to study at home and I always felt that I wasn't good enough in studies. So, I had to instill confidence in myself believing that I could do well in written exams.
Transportation was another challenge during lockdown. Trains weren't allowed then so I had to travel by air from Kerala to Chennai which cost a huge amount of money. I couldn't get into hostels because of the pandemic. But thankfully my friends opened their doors and allowed me to stay in their homes but I had to change homes after one or two weeks.
In the camp, I had to wake up at around 3.30/4.00 in the morning, get ready and have my breakfast before 7 am. From 7 am to 1 pm, I had drill practices with a water-break of five minutes and again from 2 pm to 6.30 pm. I also had my best cadet selection process in between and had to study for my written exam too. It was excruciatingly hard during those times.
In the Delhi camp, I had to sleep around 11 pm and wake up around 2 am. I had to practice the whole day carrying a rifle which is almost 6 kg in weight. I also had my Best Cadet selections in the meanwhile. The temperature there was around 3°C to 4°C and it was really very hard for me, a South Indian, to adapt to that weather. I cried every morning as a way of venting my distress.
I was rejected 3-4 times for various fickle reasons like my colour and my height and I would return disappointed to Kerala each time. Then, they would call me again and I would return to the camp. Many admired my perseverance but some called me shameless for what I did. Many people have insulted and demotivated me but I wanted to prove myself before them. My parents, friends, professors and camp officers were very supportive and that motivated me to pursue my goal without giving up.
During my second camp in Madurai, I fractured my leg. In Delhi, I practised for 2 months with my fractured leg and nobody knew that except my contingent, because I feared that it would stop me from achieving my goal. Unfortunately, three days before RDC, I was admitted to hospital and the doctor advised me to give up training if I wanted to walk in future. But I was very happy to see my friends marching in front of the President. At that time, the results for the Best Cadet Award were out and when my Sir informed me that I got the gold, I was angry because I thought he was pranking me. But when I saw the list, I burst into tears.
What motivated you during hardship and stopped you from giving up?
Actually, I wanted to give up many times. But two things helped me carry on. First, if I had given up, I would have regretted it in the long run. I would have been guilty throughout my life for giving up. So I told myself to continue no matter what happened. Second, it was not only about me. I wanted to make my family, friends and officers proud. That motivated me when I felt that I could take no more. When something disappointing happened, I took time to analyse the situation. I worked on my negatives and was focused on turning them into positives.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I want to join the Indian army and I want to see myself as Lieutenant Arpitha.
What is the life lesson that you learnt from your experience?
I learnt that I should never give up no matter what happens and I also learnt to not bother about what other people think or say because nobody can live my life except me.
What do you think one should do to attain her goals?
It's simple. One has to work on his/her flaws and find out what is lacking. For any person with any sort of dream, they must work on turning their flaws into strengths. It might be character-based or skill-based.
Arpitha Muralidharan receiving the baton from our Prime Minister
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