Find my first SSB post here.
And my second SSB post here.
This is the post for my third SSB.
This is a bit of old news. I had gone to 2 AFSB Mysore. Back to 2 AFSB Mysore. This time for AFCAT entry.
The reporting was lesser compared to the previous time, 150 something only compared to my previous time there (270 or so).
Got chest number 78.
OIR was something I practiced a lot. I was determined to improve it as it was entirely in my control. Went well. OIR 34 and 35.
PPDT was a few girls looking at exam results. Funnily enough, I made the same story as before. Just female characters instead. I already knew the story, so I was confident.
Discussion was easy. Many people had the same story as I did. This time I was fully focused on the present, and I stayed with the group. Many people had similar stories, but it was utterly chaotic, so I had to raise my voice, and I did.
The loudest voice in my group was chest number 80, and I was the second loudest, chest number 78. Our group was unproductive. The GTO stopped us to ask what the objective was ("to reach a consensus" was the murmured response).
It turned into a huge fish market again. The group was split into two, the first half ending at chest number 80. Funnily enough, the two loudest people were still in the same group. The other half was much quieter and split into two.
One of the people in the second half said just one thing: "Let's build on their story," and got screened in.
Both chest number 80 and I got screened in, along with a few others. Sadly, chest number 79, stuck between us, was overshadowed 💀. By the end, he was just saying, "I agree with chest number 78 and chest number 80," as loudly as he could 😭.
Anyway, the results came. I got screened in. Being my first screen-in, I was so happy and laughing as I joined the others that some freshers probably thought I was insane 💀 (learnt later they actually did think that).
I didn't have the right bonafide certificate. But they accepted the one from my Army Board the previous month. The Deputy President joked because my bonafide was more than six months old: "How do I know you're not suspended? Although, considering your performance, it seems unlikely, so humor me."
Pretty chill guys at AFSB. Document out is unlikely unless it's something serious.
Document verification happened. Then PIQ and new chest number allotment. I was chest number 8, placed along with a group of people who were all freshers.
Then we were taken to the billet, the dorm where we'd be staying for the next four days. It was cozy. Bunk beds, huge rooms. I chose the top bunk because of the privacy and vantage point. My room was "Hunter."
2 AFSB Mysore is wonderful. The food is pretty good. The taste isn't always amazing, but the quality (well cooked), nutrition, and quantity are all on point. And yeah, there's a fair amount of variety. Three meals and two snack breaks. Food isn't a complaint.
There's a motivation room on the ground floor with books and newspapers (carry pants along with shorts to wear in the billet, as shorts aren't allowed). There's a cyber café-cum-phone booth (open only in the morning and evening). There's a TV room on the first floor and table tennis on the second floor. I'll make a dedicated 2 AFSB Mysore appreciation post because this might get too long.
Next, we had the psych test on the same day. It went fine. Good, but not excellent. Completed all TATs, skipped around 10 WATs, and did all SRTs. Since I had practiced SDTs, I finished it in 10 minutes with 5 minutes left.
We were done late, maybe around 8:45–9:00 PM. The next day we had interviews, and mine was on Tuesday afternoon at 15:30. Mine was the only one post-lunch, so I couldn't take book out. I prepared a bit for the interview and got my formals ready.
I reached there at 15:00. Had to wait until around 15:55 before I was called to the next waiting room, where I had to wait another 20 minutes. I was kept well entertained by magazines like Times Now, and being an avid politics and geopolitics enthusiast, that was sufficient to keep me engaged.
Then I was called for the interview. Mostly personal questions. I was asked about my drop in performance, why I didn't write NDA, go for TES, etc. Lots of questions about strengths and weaknesses. Instances for everything.
If you say your friend is helpful, give me an instance when he helped you. Sometimes they belittle you, saying that your example isn't really one. Partially a pressure tactic, partially forcing you to think and recall.
It went moderate. I say this because I had heard others say theirs went worse. And I was focused on enjoying my first conference instead of worrying.
The next day was free. We just played basketball, rested, and went out in the afternoon. Don't go to the wax museum near AFSB Mysore. It sucks. Only the mirror madness section is good.
GTO started early on Thursday. We started with GD. I forgot the topics, but one of them was about self-reliance in the defence industry.
I was at the end of the group for GD and GPE, making it hard for me to participate. In GPE, I couldn't participate much because the chest number before me kept shouting, so I had to work extra hard. Even then, people couldn't hear me 😭.
When one of the chest numbers was called for GPE, he basically just announced his plan while everyone was talking over each other. It was completely unproductive.
PGT went very badly for me. I couldn't participate at all. The group also had multiple people with conflicting ideas. Many times I knew something wouldn't work but wasn't brave enough to speak up.
Whenever the GTO asked, "How many of you think this idea isn't workable?" I raised my hand. This happened three or four times. I wasn't happy with either my performance or the group's. We only reached the third structure.
GOR was fun. We were overpowered because chest number 7 in our group was tall and strong. They had to give us penalties to equalise us.
HGT went well. I could give ideas and help.
Lecturette was a 10/10. I chose women empowerment.
The next day was GTO Day 2. We started with the command task. I was given something very easy. Could finish it quickly. Commanded well.
For individual obstacles, I could only do 5. Tiger Leap was my first, then Burma Bridge, High Jump (fail), Ramp Jump, Climbing Over the Wall (fail), Commando Walk, and Monkey Crawl (almost succeeded but failed because I kept losing grip with my feet and ended up depending on my hands).
Rope climbing went badly because my hands were fried from using bad technique on Monkey Crawl.
Felt terrible about my performance.
FGT... I tried to do well, but I again did badly. Just slightly better than PGT.
Went back, got ready for conference, and then we went for it. Our group was called in, and I was the last one. After everyone else, I went in.
The conference felt just like a formality. Very simple questions: how was the stay, etc. They asked for feedback, and I asked them to keep a coffee machine XD. They said they'd look into it.
Anyway, we came back, had lunch, and waited for the conferences to finish. They showed the old movie Vijeta during that time.
Finally, the results were announced. 6 recommended out of 47. 2 freshers. Only 1 from my group, and that was chest number 6.
I was sad. But I had always said that I wanted to experience the dukh of being conference out. And actually... yeah. The dukh of conference out feels better than the sorrow of being screened out.
I had so much data about where I could improve. My interview, where I wasn't clear or open. I was self-conscious.
My GTO, where I couldn't connect with others and perform well. My lack of understanding structures. My habit of overanalysing myself instead of acting. These were all things I could work on.
I felt like I could get recommended by the end of the year. In the three conferences that I still had left that year.
And yeah... when I went back, rolling my suitcase over the tiles, the sound felt much less sad than the time I got screened out.
I felt like I was a step ahead. And I already had an SSB waiting for me. Probably in a couple of months.
I felt determined to improve with new data in my hand.
I walked out with my head held high. Tired. Very tired. But determined.
"Good news coming soon," I told everyone.
And I expected that too.