A weekday at the academy starts with the morning PT which will begin at 7 in the morning. The PT during the initial days consist of mostly stretching and light exercises. As the OTs become fitter, there will be short walks in and around Shimla in the mountainous terrain.
(The morning PT )
Once we are back from the morning PT, there will still be time until the classes begin, which is at 9:30 AM. Therefore, interested OTs will proceed to play some game like Lawn Tennis, Table Tennis or Squash. Some would proceed to the gym. Still others will resume their sleep until they can’t delay waking up anymore. The morning PT is a compulsory activity and unless you have a valid reason you can’t get exemption.
The classes begin at 9:30 and continue until 12:45 with a tea break scheduled at 11. The Academy is situated at the bottom of the hill and hence you have to climb down the steps. The lunch break is from 12:45 to 2:00 and the classes again resume and will go on till evening 5:15 ( break is at 3:30).
( A day at the Academy)
The classes that are conducted are on a variety of topics like Commercial Accountancy, Public Sector Auditing, Cost and Management Accounting, Public Expenditure, Revenue and Resource Management, Financial Auditing, Public Sector Financial Reporting, Government Accounts, Public Finance Theory etc. In addition to these there will be guest lectures on a variety of topics like GST, Income Tax, PPPs etc. How interesting the class will be depends on who you get as faculty. Some are really good and make the subject very interesting, while some classes are outright boring.
Once the classes are over, we are free to pursue whatever we like. There is a dance class available to those who are interested in learning cinematic dance, there is a full fledged music room, there is a good billiards table in addition to squash, table tennis, lawn tennis and Gym. There is no football court or cricket court or badminton court. This is due to the paucity of space in a place like Shimla.
We have various committees like Mess Committee, Social Outreach committee, Sports Committee, Cultural Committee, Outdoor committee etc. to coordinate and conduct various activities for the OTs.
We have a beautiful deck with the view of the Himalayas. On clear days, you can see the Dhauladhar ranges behind the green Himalayas. Many engage in small talk while sipping tea at the deck.
There are parties held every now and then, which depends on your batch. If your batch has people who likes to party and enjoy every now and then, consider yourself lucky ( that is if you are also interested in it). Some people watch cricket or football match in the huge TV ( I dunno, may be 90″?) in the lounge.
Sometimes the party goes on till 3 in the morning but you still will have to lug yourself out of the bed and be ready for the PT in the morning. All in all, that is what happens on a typical day at the academy.
Sundays are completely free and you are free to do whatever you want. There is no restriction in moving around. However, it is mandatory that you come sleep in the hostel because the course is of residential nature.
All this is in addition to the various attachments, treks, trips etc that is undertaken as part of the training. There is a good mix of fun and studies happening everyday in your life in NAAA.