Rishabh Singh Sambyal shares what serving as the President's ADC really involved
Major Rishabh Singh Sambyal, who served as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Droupadi Murmu, revealed what the demanding role involved, from arranging personal requirements to facilitating communication with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The former Indian Army Special Forces officer spoke about his experience during an episode of entrepreneur Raj Shamani’s Figuring Out podcast, including the reasons behind his premature retirement from the Indian Army.
The podcast’s official Instagram account shared a clip from the conversation, in which Shamani asked Sambyal about his day-to-day responsibilities while serving as President Droupadi Murmu's ADC.
“Everything,” Sambyal said, explaining that his job involved handling the President’s requirements, both personal and professional.
He gave a simple example to explain what that meant. He started by explaining that if the President wanted something as ordinary as a helmet, what would the course of action be.
“Let’s say the President wants, for example, a helmet. ‘I want to buy a helmet.’ She can’t go out in the market and buy, right?” he said.
Instead, she would communicate the requirement to her ADC, who would then coordinate with the relevant agencies and teams to arrange it.
His responsibilities also extended to the President’s official communication, where even a phone call required coordination through the ADC.
“For example, the President wishes to speak to the Prime Minister. She can’t directly pick up her phone and start talking to the Prime Minister,” he said.
Sambyal explained that if the President wanted to speak to the Prime Minister, the ADC would first contact the Prime Minister’s team rather than calling the Prime Minister directly.
“We’ll call up their people. Their people will get the Prime Minister online,” he said, explaining that he would then confirm that the other person was available before informing the President.
Sambyal further explained that communication worked the other way around as well. He said that anything that needed to reach the President could not simply be sent to her directly from anywhere in the country. It had to first come through the ADC who was on duty.
The role, he clarified, placed the ADC at the centre of a wide range of interactions and requirements involving the President, requiring the officer to coordinate with multiple teams while ensuring that communication and requests were handled smoothly.
The caption of the post explained that Sambyal was a former Indian Army Special Forces officer who had served in demanding military roles before being appointed as an ADC to President Droupadi Murmu.
Watch the video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Figuring Out with Raj Shamani (@figuringout.co)
The clip prompted viewers to appreciate the insight into a role that generally remains away from the public eye. One user also described Sambyal’s work as impressive, while another found the conversation highly informative.- EndsPublished By: Yashna TalwarPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 14:25 IST
