Inside the 120 Infantry Battalion campus, youths from all around the State milled around while waiting for their call. While some had boarded trains and buses to reach Bhubaneswar, others came to the recruitment ground in trucks laden with sand.

Said Colonel Jai Prakash Janu, commanding officer of the 120 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) here: "Their enthusiasm is infectious. Agreed that we hold many such recruitment rallies, but the patriotic fervour in this rally is seen to be believed. About 2,000 boys queued up for the rallyhere. Though they don't have the faintest idea about the topography of the icy heights of the Kargil or Drass, they are still raring to go there and fight."

Echoing Col Janu's views Captain D Naik of the Territorial Army's polyclinic here said, "I have conducted medical tests in many recruitment rallies, but have not seen not so many turning up like this one. The fighting at Kargil has definitely boosted the youths' spirits."

Col Janu said 300 youths would be selected to undergo a nine-month strenuous training to be finally recruited as sepoys in the Bihar Regiment. He said Adivasi candidates, sons of war widows and ex-servicemen would be given priority in the recruitment. In all probability, they would be posted in the Jubar Hills area of the Batalik sector, he informed.

The youths who do not meet the minimum height requirement of 177 cm would be first screened out and those remaining would be made to run a distance of one mile and 100 metre distances. Those who qualify would have to appear for awritten test followed by physical test.

Chandrasekhar Pradhan from G Udaygiri of Phulbani district looked all charged up. "My country comes before everything. If I am selected, I'll request the Army to send me to Kargil to fight the Pakistanis. I don't mind if I get killed," he said in a voice that betrayed pride and love for the country.