Second Innings of Faujis
Many defence personnel serve for the mandatory period and then choose to leave the forces to begin a second innings in civil life. I joined the Indian Navy at the age of 17 years and 3 months, and completed my compulsory tenure of 15 years in 2005, when I was 32 years and 3 months old.
At this stage of life, many in the civil world are already well-settled in their careers.
There are, of course, others who continue trying their luck in competitive exams until the last permissible age, which varies from state to state. In Uttarakhand, the upper age limit was earlier 35 years for the General category, with a relaxation of 5 years for reserved categories. This has now been increased to 42 years for General and 47 years for reserved categories.
After leaving the Navy at 32, I got the opportunity to join a college as a B.Ed. student. I was apprehensive that I would be the oldest in the batch.
However, to my surprise, there was another gentleman who took that distinction. He had been preparing for the State Civil Services (PCS) exam and, after exhausting all his attempts, chose to pursue a different career path—teaching, like many others in similar situations. Thus, I became the second oldest in a batch of 70 students.
I secured my first civil job in 2006.
Even there, some teachers were more experienced and older than me. Later, in the Sameeksha Adhikari batch of 135 candidates, there were again a few fellow faujis who were older, while the rest were younger.
In 2015, after being selected as a Deputy Education Officer—the entry-level officer position in the Department of School Education—I once again found myself second in terms of age in the entire batch.
There was one colleague who was a year older than me.
The defence forces are unique in this regard—they structure career progression in alignment with age and service. As young recruits aged 17–20, we were part of a group of around 650 trainees, and we shared an immensely vibrant and memorable phase of life. Even today, nearly two decades after leaving the Navy, we can reconnect and feel like those same young trainees again—something rarely experienced in civil jobs.
However, in civil life, many of us ex-servicemen often feel like misfits among younger colleagues who begin their careers much earlier. Naturally, forming close friendships becomes challenging due to the age gap. Age influences not only our lifestyle but also our responsibilities and outlook.
For instance, when I joined the batch of Deputy Education Officers, I was already 42 years old, while the youngest member was about 15 years younger. He was unmarried at the time and got married later. In contrast, both of my daughters have already completed their school education, whereas some colleagues are only now entering that phase of life with their children.
Another reality is that within the same batch, many younger colleagues—owing to higher merit rankings—will eventually become my seniors. By the time I retire, I may reach the position of Block Education Officer or perhaps District Education Officer. Meanwhile, the topper of the same batch could rise to the level of Additional Director before retirement.
This is the paradox of a fauji’s second innings: we start strong, disciplined, and experienced—but often restart from behind in the civilian hierarchy. Yet, what remains unmatched is the richness of experiences, resilience, and lifelong camaraderie that we carry from our years in uniform.
