Like any teenager, Lieutenant Rashmi of the Logistics branch, wanted to be everything, "but I had an adventure streak in me," says the national level swimmer. In her final year of BA Economics, when many of her friends were deciding their future, Lt Rashmi applied to the Navy.

Though Lt Rashmi is from 'fauji' background; both her father and brother are from the Army, her heart was set on the Indian Navy. "The postings are fantastic! Goa, Cochin, Mumbai, all are happening places!" Commander Deepak Singhal, Directorate, Naval Operations, couldn't agree more. "Indian Navy offers a very cosmopolitan lifestyle; the postings are at the best of the places, rarely in remote places, and this gives us a huge exposure to civilian lifestyle."

Not just that, there are many trips abroad for naval courses and there's an active interaction with foreign navies says Cdr Singhal. But when Cdr Singhal sat for the Naval Academy examinations, it was for the lure of the uniform. "It looks royal," he says and "grand," adds Lt Rashmi.

She went unprepared for the SSB. "The SSB officers, dressed in civilian clothes, at once make you feel at ease." Cdr Singhal says that the SSB is a very scientific process devised by scientists at the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR). "In fact, it is considered one the best interview formats in the world." Lt Rashmi thinks that even if one doesn't get through the SSB, the experience itself is life-changing.

Lt Rashmi is the second batch of SSC women officers to have passed out from the new Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala. "The moment I stepped into the academy, I felt we were all equal." And no doubt, the place is beautiful she says. "There are mountains, beaches, rivers, and of course, the sea. I played a lot of beach volleyball!" And she's done skydiving, too. "Besides adventure sports, there are plenty of courses to do, as well!" She did diploma in Logistics Management from Symbiosis Institute of Management during her one year training at INS Hamla.

It was during the training that Lt Rashmi learnt much more about the Indian Navy. "It was an eye-opener. You can work at sea on the ship, under the sea in submarines or in the air as pilot and within these there are so many specialisations!" As part of the training, she spent two weeks on the ship. "But I am sure soon women will become a part of the ship crew."

For Cdr Singhal, training at the NA was a process of self-discovery. "I thought I could never run. Now, I am a marathon runner." He had participated in the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon when he was posted there. But the greatest challenge is commanding a unit of young men at an early stage. 'It is a bit unnerving but also a matter of
great pride!"

Cdr Singhal has served at INS Viraat, flagship of the Indian Navy. "It is a city floating on the waters." Just the distance between his cabin and the operation room was 200 metres. And yes, he would jog two kilometres everyday in the mornings on the ship. The sun setting against the Viraat was phenomenal he recalls and on some days when a few whales leaped out from the blue waters, "it seemed I was in another world!"