Coming from a defence background and witnessing the camaraderie, the discipline, and the military ethos, I had made up my mind at a very young age to spend my life in service of the nation by joining the Indian Army. I cleared my SSB and was selected to train as a part of the 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme.

I completed my basic military training at Officers Training Academy and then moved to Cadets Training Wing for my second leg of training. It was here that on September 19, 2016, I sustained an injury during an obstacle course and had a compound fracture on my left arm and a dislocated elbow. I was admitted to the hospital and had to undergo six surgeries over a period of one and a half years while liters of antibiotics were being pumped into me to take care of the bone infection called chronic osteomyelitis.

I felt my dream and my world crashing when I was told that I would have to be medically boarded out. I realised slowly that this was the point where I had to hit the restart button in my life. I had to rewind my four years spent in training and hospital, get in touch with my academics, study my senior secondary syllabus all over again and appear for admissions into colleges.

I got into Loyola Academy, Secunderabad, where I am currently pursuing my triple major in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science and have also been selected as the head boy of the college. My main aim, however, still remains the same, that is to dedicate myself to the service of the nation.

Looking back at the course my life has taken, I wish to tell everyone that ‘Adversity does not discriminate, you need to train your mind and lay a foundation through resilience, patience, and resolve. No man has been defeated until he has been defeated from within.”

Also Read: My Story: ‘Dad Faces Risk Of An Infection Every Hour Treating Patients At The Hospital’