28th Foundation Day (Extension Campus)

September 18, 2026; it was the 28th Foundation Day of IIIT-Bangalore. The celebrations had to be marked in both the campuses, the E City campus and the Extension Campus. The extension campus had the luxury of a nearly 3.5 acres of play field and it was decided to have some event on the playfield which would be different and at the same time enable a large number of students to witness it. The motorbike display by Shwet Ashwa a team from the Corps of Military Police, Bengaluru was the natural choice.

Shwet Ashwa (meaning white horse), the celebrated motorcycle display team of the Corps of Military Police (CMP), Indian Army, is a spectacular embodiment of military discipline, courage, teamwork and precision. Established in 1952, the team has earned national and international recognition for its breathtaking motorcycle formations and stunts, including human pyramids, intricate formations and feats of balance performed on moving motorcycles. With several Guinness World Records to its credit, Shwet Ashwa has been a regular feature at national celebrations and military events. Beyond the thrill and spectacle, its performances are a powerful demonstration of trust, coordination and absolute confidence among team members, where men, women and machines move with remarkable synchrony, turning military training into an art form.

A month prior to the foundation day, it was decided to call the team to perform at the IIITB extension campus grounds. The CMP officials were contacted and they agreed upon willingly, since IIIT-B seeks the CMP band every year to play and enhance the pomp of its annual convocation. But, IIIT-B had a major problem in hand. The playfield at the Extension Campus was not in a condition suitable for the Shwet Ashwa team to perform. The ground was uneven, with stones scattered across the surface and shrubs growing in several places. The monsoon rains in Bengaluru during August and September further worsened the condition of the field.

A contractor was engaged to improve the condition of the ground. He brought in fresh soil and used an excavator to level the surface. However, the work progressed slowly, and the frequent rains continued to make the ground slushy. As a result, the ground remained largely unusable for sports. Students frequently complained about its poor condition and the lack of a proper playfield.

As the day of the event drew closer, the condition of the ground showed little improvement. A few members of the Shwet Ashwa team visited the site and were understandably sceptical about riding their motorcycles on such a rough surface. Yet, with characteristic confidence, they assured us that they would somehow make it work. Watching them inspect the ground, we got the distinct impression that these men were the real-life Rambos of motorcycle riding who were capable of pulling off seemingly impossible stunts even on a surface that would make an ordinary rider think twice.

The entire team arrived with their motorcycles just three days before the event. The rains were still coming down intermittently, making the situation even more difficult. The contractor and his team of labourers were still working on the ground, but the pace of work made it clear that it would be difficult to get the field ready in time.

As organisers, we were embarrassed to see that the ground was still nowhere near ready, while the men and women in olive green had already arrived on campus to practise. They saw the slow progress and the work that still lay ahead. But, true to their character and grit, they neither complained nor showed frustration. Instead, they simply parked their motorcycles to one side and joined the labourers. They got their hands dirty, moved earth, filled uneven patches and literally picked stones and gravel from the ground, working alongside the labourers to get the field ready.

It was a sight to behold. Only a few hours earlier, these men and women in olive green had been covered in mud, working shoulder to shoulder with the labourers, filling depressions, moving earth and picking stones from the very ground on which they were now preparing to perform. Our embarrassment had turned into admiration, and admiration soon turned into pride. They had shown us, without a word of complaint, what discipline, grit and a sense of responsibility truly mean.

Then came the display day. The motorcycles roared to life, and Shweta Ashwa took to the field. What followed was breathtaking, precision riding, daring formations, riders standing on moving motorcycles and spectacular human pyramids, all executed with astonishing confidence and coordination. The roar of the engines and the sheer audacity of the stunts had the audience spellbound. Our students, who had spent days cribbing about the ground, were now sitting awe-struck, watching the very same rough surface come alive with an extraordinary display of skill and courage.

Perhaps that was the greatest lesson of the day. It is easy to complain about what is missing, what is imperfect or what someone else should have done. But the Shweta Ashwa team showed us another way, which is, “don’t crib about the ground; get down and make the ground better. Don’t wait for perfect conditions; make the best of the conditions you have.”  Then, when the final roar of the motorcycles faded and the applause swept across the field, we as administrators and faculty members could not help thinking that the students had learnt a lesson that no classroom could have taught them. They had witnessed, first-hand, what courage, teamwork, discipline and sheer determination can achieve.