‘Forget about how Inspector Vijay shoots in the movies, with one arm, body turned sideways. That is all filmy,’ Sameer said. ‘We will teach you how to shoot the professional way. You will learn how to shoot to kill. Your instructor, Uday, will teach you how to fire and how not to fire over the next three months.’

As if out of nowhere, Uday, a six-footer, appeared in the range. He was attired in a white T-shirt and khaki trousers.

Nodding to the boys, he addressed them. ‘Boys, you will pick a weapon for yourself, and from now on, you will consider it to be an extension of your being, your body. Your mind, body and the weapon should be in perfect harmony. If you take good care of your weapon, it will save your life during emergencies.’

Uday looked at Atharv. ‘Atharv, go to spot A again and stand there.’

Atharv walked back to the spot.

‘Don’t stand sideways, stand straight, facing your target.’

Atharv adjusted his stance.

‘Stand at ease and spread out your legs. Just enough for you to be balanced. Bend your knees a bit. Don’t hold the pistol with your right hand alone. Use both your hands to hold the butt. Now, take aim, either with both eyes or with one eye.’

Atharv did as he was told.

‘Make sure that your firing hand is gripping the pistol firmly, while the four fingers of the supporting hand – in Atharv’s case, the supporting hand is his left hand – are beneath the trigger section. Such an action allows you to take good aim, increases your accuracy and protects you from the adverse effects of recoil.’

When Uday was satisfied with Atharv’s stance, he instructed him, ‘Come on, aim at your target and fire six times.’

Atharv missed his mark twice. But by the third shot, he was more comfortable in his stance. He was aware of where he was standing, where his firing arm and support arm were. Although he missed the mark again, shots four, five and six hit the bull’s eye. He let out a loud ‘Yes!’ as he raised his right hand in the air with a clenched fist.

‘Atharv, remain in your position and fire sixty more rounds. Pause for a while after each round of six shots. Hit the target every time.’

Uday turned to the rest of the boys. ‘Remember, every bullet is meant to hit the target – head, shoulder or a limb, as per your situational need. Ek goli, ek dushman.’

For the next fifteen minutes, Atharv fired at the target. Thirty-nine of the sixty bullets that he fired found their mark.

‘Not bad for an amateur,’ Uday said as Atharv fired the last shot. ‘But for a trained CTC operative, it should be fifty-six or fifty-seven out of sixty!’

Atharv, who had been feeling quite pleased with his performance, walked dejectedly back to join the boys on hearing Uday’s comment.