One of the best things about life in the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla is that each officer cadet gets their personal room, which is called cabin officially. If you aspire to join the academy too, today, we share what’s inside an NDA cadet’s room.
What is an NDA Cadet’s Room?
Once you enter NDA, you are allotted your personal room based on your NDA battalion and company. This room is a private space for young cadets undergoing military training. They utilize it through the course of their stay, and can even personalize it. Each NDA cadet’s room has the following essentials:
- A bed with comfortable bedding
- Study area with a pinboard
- Cupboard for uniforms
- Shoe rack for organizing footwear
- Attached washrooms
What is Inside an NDA Cadet’s Room?
Let us now look at the different essentials that each cadet’s room offers. Once you enter the academy, you can also add your own personalized items like fairy lights, frames, and photographs.
I. Bed with comfortable bedding
The first thing you’ll notice when you enter an NDA cadet’s room is the bed, which acts as a retreat after strenuous training. This is a single bed, generally placed near a window. It also includes bedding such as a bedsheet, pillow, blanket, and mosquito net among others.
All cadets must keep their rooms clean and tidy because of inspections by the concerned officials. The way an NDA cadet presents their room tells a lot about military discipline and etiquette.
II. Storage space and mirror
An NDA cadet’s room is incomplete without its storage space. Hence, each cabin has a cupboard and a shoe rack for arranging uniforms, equipment, and kit. Cadets generally prepare their rigs and uniform in advance and arrange them on hangars.
Similarly, they polish their shoes and keep them neatly on the rack provided. The storage space also houses toiletries, extra stationery, and training gear of each cadet. Additionally, each room has a mirror with the words, “Am I Looking Smart?”, attached to it.
III. Study area with a pinboard
The study area is a small space adjacent to the bed, which comprises a table and a chair. Cadets use it for academic purposes such as term exams, assignments, or reading. A lot of times the chair serves as a place to sit and videocall loved ones.
This space also has a pinboard, where cadets pin photographs of friends and family, as well as deadlines. It acts as a repository of academy life and an everyday motivation.
IV. Other essentials
Other than the items mentioned above, an NDA cadet’s room also comprises curtains for windows, and machines like a ceiling fan and cooler for ventilation. The idea is to make accommodation comfortable for the young minds who will lead troops tomorrow.
Final Thoughts
Each NDA cadet’s room tells a story about their time in the academy and the regular instilling of military discipline in them. If you are an NDA aspirant, you can also start taking daily steps like arranging your room and making your bed for a disciplined life outside the academy.
FAQs about NDA Cadet’s Room
Q. Do NDA cadets pay for their accommodation in the academy?
A. No, the accommodation at NDA is free of cost for all NDA cadets.
Q. Is personalization allowed in an NDA cadet’s room?
A. Indeed, each NDA cadet personalizes their room with things from home, and academy memories. It is your room, and hence, you can decorate it the way you wish to.
Q. Is accommodation for male and female cadets the same?
A. The accommodation for all NDA cadets remains the same irrespective of their sex. However, the accommodation of male and female cadets is separate.
