Manoj Singh 
Sahasraon: The ground located right next to the primary school of Sahasraon was deserted on a Saturday evening. Five iron pipes were still standing erect on one side of the ground but the flags hoisted on them were gone, except for an old flag hanging on one pipe. ‘Sainik Career Centre’ was painted on the bricks with white lime, which was barely legible.
At the other end of the ground, iron pipes installed for physical training had turned rusty and black.
Monica, the youngest among the five or six girls playing in the primary school premises, said: “No one comes here anymore. Captain saheb comes in the morning. There are one or two other people with him who walk and work out on the ground. This is how it has been for the past two years. Earlier, many boys and girls used to visit in the morning and evening. They would run and exercise.”
This ground in Sahasraon, thronged by youth for about 25 years, has hardly any visitors today. It was popular not only in this area, but in many districts of UP as well as Bihar and Chhattisgarh. Even today, anyone from Chaurichaura in Gorakhpur to Nai Bazar will immediately guide one to the place if one asks about a ‘captain’ or a ‘ground’.
The grounds bears a desolate look today. Photo provided by author.
When I asked two young men on a bike near Nai Bazar about the address of Captain saheb’s house, one of them, Sumit, said: “His house is six kilometres away. I have also practiced with my sister in [the] ground.”
The Sahasraon ground is located near Mithabel village, ahead of Nai Bazar from Gorakhpur via Chaurichaura.
The board installed at one corner of the Sahasraon ground and the inscription written on the stone along with it tells the story of this ground and how it earned its fame. The board states that the ground is a ‘military career centre’ and is a platform for training for the army, paramilitary, air force, navy, police, Railway Protection Force, Sahastra Seema Bal, Central Reserve Police Force, Pradeshik Armed Constabulary and other recruitments.
The engraving on the stone reads: ‘Year of establishment 1993. Achievements – Employed boys-3800, girls-28. National level players-5.’
Towards the end, there is a quote that urges students to recognise their talent if they want to ‘rule hearts’.
This ground was the brainchild of retired Captain Aadya Prasad Dubey. He inspired the youth in his area 25 years ago to sweat it out on this ground to join the army and paramilitary forces.
An old photo of people training at the ground. Photo by special arrangement.
Within a few years, hundreds of youth started practicing running and other physical exercises every morning and evening for recruitment to the army. Successful stories of recruitment to the army and paramilitary forces made Captain Aadya Prasad Dubey and this ground famous.
But ever since the announcement of the Agniveer scheme and four years of recruitment to the army under it, the youth became so disillusioned that the centre has closed down and no one comes here for training.
Captain Dubey’s house is in Mithabel village, one kilometre away from this ground. He was not at home on Saturday (May 25) evening. Later, he narrated the 25-year story of his centre on the phone.
He said that when he arrived in the village after retirement in 1992, he found the youth either wandering aimlessly due to unemployment or migrating to big cities to work as labourers. Due to poverty, they were able to study only till the intermediate level.
“I also saw that the youth in the village were just as physically fit as the youth of Haryana or south India, but due to lack of proper guidance, they were unable to choose a career for themselves. I too had fought poverty and joined the army and achieved my dream. I felt that if these youth are motivated to join the army and paramilitary forces then perhaps the situation can change,” he said.
“Initially, only four to five boys got motivated after a lot of effort. We started running practice with them on a small field of about 300 square meters lying vacant in Mithabel. I used to reach the ground at four in the morning and would start doing warm-up, running, PT [physical training] as well as attention and relaxation exercises. I made them practice running for 1,600 metres for six months.
“After a few days, army recruitment took place in Kurghat, Gorakhpur. A young man who was practicing with us got selected. He had passed intermediate with a third division. He had given up hope of getting a job, but a few months of physical practice gave him new energy and he joined the army. In addition to him, some other youth were also selected in the Railway Protection Force. Soon, more young men started joining us and the number reached 50,” Captain Dubey added.
A signboard advertising the centre. Photo provided by author.
He continued: “Meanwhile, news about the ground was published in a daily newspaper. Boys from the districts of Purvanchal and even Bihar and Chhattisgarh started pouring in. When girls showed interest, they were also included in physical training.
“Soon, we fell short of space, which is why we began looking for a bigger tract of land, and the barren land of Sahasraon fit our purpose. The village head of Sahasraon also cooperated. Within two weeks it was cleaned and converted into a ground suitable for practice. The board of the Sainik Career Centre was installed here.”
Captain Dubey did not charge any fee for the training. The youth would bear the expenses of meals and uniforms. According to him, he prepared the physical training module in such a way that the youth could run the 1,600 metre race in less than five minutes.
“This made it easier for the youth here to get selected, but later I found that they were lagging behind in written examinations. So, we started training from the perspective of the written examination.”
He said that in two and a half decades, 3,800 young men and 28 girls who trained at the centre have been selected in the army and paramilitary forces. This centre kept functioning even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owing to the popularity of the centre, many leaders have also visited it and promised to build a stadium, which has not been completed yet, he also said.
Most of the youth training at this centre are from the backward class and Dalit communities. According to Captain Dubey, youth from the upper caste community showed less interest. Those youth from the community who came here had less physical prowess and left midway after joining the course, he said.
“Everything was going well until the second week of June 2022, when the Agniveer scheme in the army was announced by the government. This announcement dealt a tremendous blow to the Sainik Career Centre. The number of youth coming here declined and after a few months, the centre had to be closed down completely.”
Also read: In Chambal, Would-Be-Agniveers Now Work as Blacksmiths, Carpenters and Shopkeepers
Captain Dubey said that the youth have now lost interest in joining the army. He tried every bit to keep the youth interested in joining the army but they reason that it is better to find some other work than to stay in the army for four years and become unemployed ultimately.
However, he avoided commenting on the Agniveer scheme. He said that it was the government’s perception, but the truth was that “this scheme has brought disappointment among the youth. There is no charm in joining the army anymore.”
Ranjit Nishad runs a pharmacy across the road in front of the Sahasraon ground. He also claimed that due to Agniveer Yojana, army aspirants have stopped coming there. Candidates from distant places used to come and live in rented houses from here till Nai Bazar and prepare for recruitment in the army.
While returning from the Sainik Career Centre, I met two youths who were going to take a bath at a tube well. One of them, Adarsh, said that he too had practiced at this centre for a few days. He also appeared for the constable recruitment examination in February but the exam was canceled due to a paper leak.
Adarsh said: “Fifteen to twenty boys of his group used to practice at Captain saheb’s training centre. Boys from Bihar also used to come here to prepare. After [Agniveer], no one goes there anymore.”
Commenting on the Agniveer scheme, Adarsh said, “Earlier, the job used to last for 35 years. Now, it will end in just four years, and after that, there is no guarantee of work. This will ruin an entire generation.”
Photo provided by author.
During the conversation, Adarsh’s friend Jamshed arrived on a bike. Adarsh said that Jamshed had also given the constable recruitment exam and that now the two are preparing for the exam again.
Adarsh said that unemployment is a big issue in this election. “The boys preparing for the recruitment exam will not vote for the BJP. We think there will be a change this time,” he said.
Ram Nakshatra Paswan, who was grazing his buffaloes, also joined the conversation. “Captain saheb was working so hard, but now, everything has gone in vain,” he said. “What can we do when the government has rendered the young generation without work?”
Explaining the reason for the Sainik Career Centre’s closure, Paswan said, “If there were no water, would you stay here? Not at all. It is the same with Sainik Career Centre. When there is no recruitment, why would the boys go there?”
“Under this government, all the boys have become unemployed,” Pawan further said. “It’s been ten years and there has been no recruitment. If a tree planted for the sake of shade does not offer shade, won’t you chop it down? Do you get it? You seem smart enough.”