The high-ranking military position of Aide-de-Camp has been the subject of discussion ever since ‘national crush’ (Retd.) took premature retirement as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Droupadi Murmu.
Aide-de-Camp (ADC) is an honorary position in the Indian Armed Forces. ADCS are appointed from the three wings — the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force — and are responsible for coordinating and supporting the President’s day-to-day activities and ensuring protocol is maintained.
The President of India has five Aides-de-Camp: three from the Army, and one each from the Navy and Air Force.
In a podcast, ex- revealed the gruelling training that soldiers have to undergo to become Special Forces operatives. He described the Balidan Badge as a symbol of sacrifice, and said: “You have to give your blood, your sweat, and your sleepless nights to earn this… . It is a symbol that you have given balidan [sacrifice] of your soul – you have given what it takes to be the best towards the organisation and towards this cause.”
Sambyal spoke about the demanding training and selection process that soldiers must complete before qualifying as Special Forces operatives. He also referred to a Discovery documentary released a few years ago that offered viewers a glimpse into the rigorous probation process.
“For roughly 90 days, you are put into a completely cut-off world under controlled stressful situations to assess your capabilities… For 90 days, it is rigorous training, sleepless nights, tasks, and missions,” Sambyal said in a podcast with Raj Shamani.
“Basically, they don’t let you sleep during these 90 days-you hardly sleep in your classes when you’re about to doze off…,” he said, adding that a candidate is pushed to human limits to see whether the individual breaks or not.
“Because we are looking for a human who doesn’t break.”
In one of Raj Shamani’s podcasts, Sambyal spoke at length about the vigilance required to ensure the President of India’s safety.
The ex-ADC shared why no one is allowed to touch the feet of the President or shake their hands. “You don’t know the intentions of the individual,” said Sambyal. He added, “How can you trust the person who is on the other side?” He went on to share that he was even concerned about the glass from which she would have water. “You don’t know who has kept it there. You don’t know if something is there…”
He explained that an area extending up to 1 km around the President is kept sanitised, which means no arms, metal or other dangerous materials are allowed.
