YTA Success Stories Episode 3: Cadet Amrut Kumbhoje

YTA Success Stories Episode 3: Cadet Amrut Kumbhoje

YTA Success Stories Episode 3: Cadet Amrut Kumbhoje

Trusting the Process – The Inspiring Journey of Cadet Amrut Kumbhoje

SSB Recommended – Indian Army | NDA 156 Course

Cadet Amrut Kumbhoje’s journey to an SSB recommendation is a story of persistence, discipline and quiet belief in the process.

Amrut belongs to Sangli, a town located about 230 kilometres South of Pune. His father trades in agricultural products and his mother is a homemaker. Growing up, his father often narrated stories of India’s freedom fighters. Those stories quietly planted a strong sense of nationalism in his young mind.

In school, Amrut described himself as an average student academically. But he was always active and energetic outside the classroom. He represented his school in cricket and volleyball, participated in debate and elocution competitions, and enjoyed creative activities such as fort model making competitions. He also had the opportunity to attend the National Scouts and Guides Jamboree camp in Rajasthan, an experience that exposed him to teamwork and discipline at a national level.

The first real glimpse of the Armed Forces came when he was in Class 8. A local student from his town who had cleared the NDA merit list was felicitated in his school. Amrut was deeply impressed by the young cadet’s confidence, personality and commanding presence. That moment sparked his fascination with the uniform.

Curious to know more, Amrut began researching the NDA and the training required to reach there. During this search he discovered Yashotej Academy.

Later, he also learnt about Cadet Pranav Patil from YTA Batch 4, who had already cleared the NDA and was undergoing training at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. Pranav too recommended YTA as the right place to prepare for the NDA journey.

When Amrut reported to the academy, he immediately experienced the unique culture of YTA. On the very first day, during the traditional battalion auction, he was picked up by the Mavericks Battalion, known for its lively traditions. One such tradition involved eating food without using hands. His initiation began with a bowl of ice cream — a moment that was both awkward and hilarious, instantly breaking the ice among new cadets.

It was also his first exposure to the academy’s culture of respect for seniors and strong camaraderie within battalions. The bond between seniors and juniors fascinated him and helped him settle into the academy environment.

Hostel life brought new friendships and challenges. Amrut and his five roommates made a deliberate academic plan. Every month they listed specific subjects, chapters and topics to cover. Each member of the group ensured that the others stayed on track with their daily targets.

However, the initial months were not easy.

The academic standards at YTA were very high and intimidating for someone who had been an average student in school. The routine rote-learning methods he had followed earlier were no longer sufficient. To succeed here, he had to truly understand concepts rather than simply memorise them.

Determined to improve, Amrut made one commitment to himself — he would not miss a single class during his entire training period. Whenever he struggled with mathematics, Prathamesh Ghadge Sir patiently helped him clear his doubts and build stronger fundamentals.

Despite a series of poor results in the early phase, Amrut never lost faith in the process. Slowly, his persistence began to show results. After returning from the Diwali break, his academic performance began to improve steadily.

During this time, he also encountered a few negative influences in the battalion who tried to create distractions. But Amrut chose to remain focused. His group of roommates continued working hard and supported each other throughout the preparation.

They took every subject mock test and comprehensive test seriously.

Their dedication eventually paid off. When the NDA written results were declared, five out of the six roommates had cleared the examination. The sixth candidate had unfortunately made a bubbling error in the OMR sheet — otherwise the entire group would have succeeded.

Amrut was allotted the Bhopal SSB. It was his first solo train journey for such an important event.

The first day began with the Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test, which went very well for him. The group discussion that followed, however, turned into a chaotic “fish market,” with many candidates speaking simultaneously. Amrut delivered his narration confidently but managed to speak only once during the discussion. Nevertheless, his strong OIR performance and clear story narration helped him clear the screening stage.

The next phase was the psychological tests. One of the Situation Reaction Tests involved a scenario related to a property dispute between a father and an uncle. Because he had mentally prepared for such situations, he responded calmly and logically.

The following morning began early at 0700 hours in the chilly January weather of Bhopal. The Group Testing Officer tasks were physically demanding. Amrut found the obstacle course particularly challenging, but he ensured that he displayed initiative and teamwork in every activity.

For the lecturette, he had to choose between Swachh Bharat, BIMSTEC and Khelo India. He chose the Swachh Bharat Mission and spoke confidently about its importance for national development.

His personal interview lasted nearly seventy-five minutes. The questions revolved extensively around life at YTA — hostel life, the academy’s personality development activities, responsibilities of student appointments and his reading habits. The Interviewing Officer probed deeply into his hobby of reading books, testing both his honesty and depth of understanding.

Finally came the conference, which lasted about ten minutes. The board asked him an interesting question — if he were appointed Director of YTA, what three changes would he introduce? Amrut remained composed and answered confidently.

It was no surprise that his name appeared on the recommended list on the final day.

Today, with the SSB recommendation secured, Amrut’s focus has shifted to performing well in his HSC board examinations before beginning the next phase of his journey.

His story reminds every aspirant that success does not always belong to the brightest student in the beginning. It often belongs to the one who trusts the process, works consistently and refuses to give up.