New Delhi : Geographic Channel is all set to give its viewers unprecedented access into the most prestigious and revered institution of the country – The Indian Army. The long awaited mega programme “Nat Geo Mission Army – Desh ke Rakshak” will track the lives of 5 ordinary Indian citizens who have surpassed grilling tests of physical endurance and mental toughness to win the honour of stepping into the shoes of an Indian Army soldier. But only one amongst them will emerge as a true hero and will win a never before opportunity and honour of being a part of an Indian Army Training mission abroad. To witness the making of true heroes, tune into Mission Army – Desh ke Rakshak only on National Geographic Channel at 10 PM on Monday, 28th of February, 2011.

The 5 finalists of the series have surpassed physical and mental tests akin to the actual Army standards during the auditions across Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi. These auditions saw 30,000 participants from different corners of the country come together to win a chance of being a part of this mega reality show. The selected few were further shortlisted based on army medical benchmarks & tests which were conducted in New Delhi. In the end only 5 emerged as deserving candidates who will undergo a training capsule at the prestigious Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. They will complete assignments at key Indian Army establishments such as – Commando school in Belgaum, Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nasik, The Corps Battle School at Srinagar, The Parachute brigade at Agra, the Armoured Corps Centre at Ahmednagar and Artillery Centre in Deolali. Besides this, the candidates will also be experiencing the grilling regimental routines from the snow peaks of Srinagar to the deserts of Rajasthan. The candidates will be trained and evaluated by combat experts of the Indian Army.

“After grilling 30,000 enthusiastic and patriotic youth applicants across the country, Nat Geo has selected the final five who will embark on a journey to win themselves a never before opportunity to experience the life of an Indian Army Officer. National Geographic Channel has taken the viewers to locations and places that no other TV channel has and our Mission’s in the past have lived up to this tradition. We have worked closely with the Indian army for our biggest Mission ever – Mission Army “Desh ke Rakshak” and will take our viewers into the second largest army of the world – The Indian Army. I firmly believe that in the age of scripted reality shows, a docu-reality programme like Mission Army will attract millions of people from different age groups across the country. We firmly believe that this programme will showcase the Grit, the Valour & the Glory of the Indian Army and encourage brave young men & women to join the Indian Army.” said Mr. Keertan Adyanthaya,Managing Director, Fox International Channel and National Geographic Network India.

The series is being promoted heavily through a 360 degree marketing activation spanning robust On-air, Print, Outdoor, Online & Radio. You can also catch sneak peeks of upcoming episodes, trivia, behind the scenes footage, amazing on location photo gallery, interact with the contestants and Army personnel and do a whole lot more on the Mission Army facebook page http://www.facebook.com/natgeotv.india

Get ready to see the action unfold starting 10 PM, Monday, February 28th as the five go all for glory and the chance of lifetime.

• Over 30,000 entries received across the country for Mission Army
• The new 10 part series will offer five Indian citizens from different walks of life a chance to experience life in the Indian Army
• Each week, these 5 candidates will be in a new location and establishment from Chennai to Siachen
• They will be trained and tasked at each of these places and evaluated by the Army
• Only one amongst the five will win the honor of being a part of an Indian Army Training Team abroad.
• The selection procedure included physical test, psychological test followed by final round of Interview with the Army personnel
• Targeting candidates above the age of 18 years