Many a time, when you have planned for something, the sudden change in weather just spoils your plans. The sky may look cloudy and points towards an ominous sign but it may not bring rain till perhaps a couple of hours later or even longer. So, even after centuries of research on weather forecasts, there’s no 100% accurate prediction.

So, as we were about to embark on our 10km route march yesterday morning after warm-up, a last-minute check with the meteorological station turned up a CAT1 warning that would last for an hour. CAT1 status usually means that there’s a lightning risk, all outdoor activities should be stopped and personnels are to seek immediate shelter. So, we took shelter.

Less than 10 minutes into it, the warning was lifted. Fine, maybe the reading was inaccurate. And we did warm-ups again before we started on the march. We covered 5 clicks in slightly less than an hour. Back at company line, we took a short break. Then, we were informed that CAT1 was in place again and this time, it would last for an hour and a half.

Choosing not to defy orders, we seek for cover in the training shed. However, just as we rested our butts, we received news that it was false alarm and we donned our full battle order again. Ok, twice can be still a coincidence. But barely 1 click after resuming, we were instructed to make a U-turn back to camp. Yes, it was CAT1 again. The weather was making a fool of us. And so the march was called off. Interestingly enough, even though it rained later in the day, it was only but a drizzle.