RAJASTHAN: Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region, which comprises Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu districts, is replete with statues of martyrs. The three districts account for the maximum martyrs in the state. People keep memories of martyrs alive by erecting their statues. The statues are worshipped as deities in the villages. In almost every home in the Shekhawati region, there’s at least one man in the armed forces.
In Alsisar town of Jhunjhunu district, NSG commando Sandeep Singh Shekhawat is one those real-life heroes who went an extra mile to encourage youth towards joining the armed forces. Shekhawat has been imparting training to youngsters above 14 years of age in the region for free of cost to follow in his footsteps for the last four years. Shekhawat says so far 80-90 of his students have been selected in the different forces.
Shekhawat has recently turned his 20-bigha farmland into a training centre where the youth are prepared for recruitment in the army, police and para-military forces. During the three-month of training, they are taught all the nuances of the armed forces.
The 35-year-old commando has also invested nearly `2 lakh on modern equipment at the academy. Posted in Delhi, Shekhawat has a couple of associates at his centre who train the youth when his on duty. But whenever he is back home, the NSG commando makes sure that he personally supervises the training. At the centre, the training begins at 4 am and continues till evening every day.
Born in a humble family, Shekhawat himself faced many hurdles before becoming a ‘black cat commando’.“When I was preparing to get into the forces, there was nobody to guide me. We used to run on roads that was itself very risky as there were chances of meeting with an accident. After joining the Indian Army in 2009, I decided to train youngsters so that they didn’t have to face similar difficulties. So, I began with training in Jhunjhunu.
This year, I converted my farmland into the training centre -- Commando SSS Defence Academy,” says Shekhawat. Shekhawat believes by opening the training centre, he will be able to ensure greater success of the trainees as the army recruitment is largely based on physical fitness. In the physical tests, aspirants have to complete 1,600-metre run in 5 minutes and 20 seconds, cross a lot of other obstacles, do several rounds of push-ups and chin-ups. The physical training is more important since written and medical tests are conducted for those candidates who qualify through these tough physical tests.
“As an NSG commando, I get three months of leave every year and devote all my time in these aspirants. Even when I am not around, I devise a programme so that they can prepare without any difficulties. I even design the daily schedule for their exercises,” says Shekhawat, who has more than 100 students at the academy.
Rahul Yogi, a Class-XII-pass out from Jhunjhunu, is one of the many aspirants at the academy who have a dream to join the army one day. He is preparing hard for the exams scheduled for November. He has been training here for the last two months. “We get up at 4 am and start training. Earlier, my running time was not up to the mark (7 minutes), but now, I can run 1,600 metres in 5.45 minutes. I have to improve a little more,” Yogi says.
Similarly, Parvez Khan, a resident of Alsisar, he has already been selected in the army’s Jabalpur centre and is waiting for his joining. “My father was in the army. Because of Sandeep ji’s training, now I can also realise my dream. I was training under him for three years. He was very strict; if we skipped any of the classes, he would call us home and give punishment. But He has changed our life,” he added.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, the training centre had over 150 students. Now, they have been split into much smaller groups to maintain social distancing. In the time of the pandemic, the academy is helping people to remain fit. “Because of the lockdown, people were not going out for exercises, that led to an increase in their body weight.
We are now encouraging people to come to our training centre and do some running and other useful exercises to boost their immunity,” says Shekhawat. Tez Rathore, a local advocate, says the entire atmosphere of the village has changed since Shekhawat started the academy. “Even people from nearby villages are motivated after seeing this success story,” he says.