A 19-year-old boy, hailing from Almora in Uttarakhand, went viral on Twitter after he revealed that he ran 10 km each night as a part of his training to join the Indian Army
Applicants who wish to join the Indian Army have to undergo the physical fitness test, which is made up of a run, doing pull ups, a long jump and a balancing act. Image Courtesy: Indian Army
A video, which has gone viral on social media, has put the spotlight on the high standards that the Indian Army expects from its applicants.
On Sunday, a video was posted by filmmaker Vinod Kapri on Twitter in which he spoke about a 19-year-old who was jogging a distance of 10 km from Noida’s Sector 16 to Barola at midnight.
Speaking about the incident, Kapri in his tweet wrote that the boy, who has been identified as Pradeep Mehra, refused a lift offered by him.
In the video, the teenager can be heard telling Kapri when asked if he wanted a lift that he wishes to jog home instead: “I always run on my way back home. I work in McDonalds, Sector 16. I run back home at night because otherwise I don’t get time to run.”
When asked why he needed to jog, the teen responded, “To join the army”. “In the mornings, I’m not able to wake up and run, as I have to go to work by 8 am and cook food.”
As the video progresses, the boy is heard telling Kapri that he hails from Almora in Uttarakhand and currently, he lives with his brother in Barola. Pradeep added that their mother is presently admitted in the hospital.
A day later, this video has captured the hearts and minds of people and at the time of this copy being published had already raked in over 73,000 retweets and 2.30 lakh likes on Twitter.
One of the people who saw the video was Lt General Satish Dua (retired), who also served as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
Commenting on Twitter, the Army veteran said that he would help Pradeep in achieving his Army dream and that his ‘josh was commendable’.
So, what exactly does it take to join the Indian Army?
As per the Indian Army website, each applicant has to pass the physical fitness test, which carries 100 marks and only on passing the physical, does the applicant move on to the next stage — the interview process.
The physical fitness test is made up of four components:
1. A 1.6-km-long run
2. Pull Ups
3. Balance
4. 9-feet ditch
According to the examiners, each applicant is scored on these four components and the scoring is as below:
In the 1.6-km-long run, if you complete it within five minutes and 30 seconds, you score 60 marks. If one completes the run between 5.31 to 5.45 minutes, then one receives 48 marks. If a person completes the run in a time beyond 5.45 minutes, then the applicant has failed.
An applicant is awarded 60 marks if he can complete the 1.6-km run within 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Image Courtesy: Indian Army
Similarly, an applicant is scored 40 marks if he/she is able to complete 10 pull ups. The scoring reduces gradually as per the number of pull ups one can perform.
In addition to the run and the pull ups, an applicant also has to complete a balance obstacle and jump across a nine-foot-long ditch.
Once this is completed and an applicant passes the fitness test, he will then undergo a height, weight and chest measurement examination. The Indian Army has different standards based on the region of the applicant.
Applicants also undergo a medical examination to ensure that they are physically fit and have no prevailing medical conditions. They have to normal hearing with each ear and good binocular vision in both eyes. The applicant should have 6/6 in distance vision and be able to recognise red and green colours.
Also, the applicant cannot have diseases like deformity of bones, hydrocele, piles or even be flat-footed.
So, what do you think? Does it sound easy? Do you think you have the ‘josh’ to be a part of the Indian Army?
With inputs from agencies
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