Pune: The 136th convocation ceremony of National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, was held on Wednesday.
The profiles of the various cadets showed that they came from different social and regional backgrounds.
A total of 251 cadets were conferred the degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which included 55 cadets from science stream, 114 cadets from computer science stream and 82 cadets from the arts stream. Seven cadets from friendly foreign countries were also awarded degrees during the programme.
The students will now join their respective service academies for one-year training before being commissioned in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Proud parents of the cadets were also present at the convocation ceremony in the jam-packed Habibullah Hall at the academy.
Battalion Cadet Adjutant K Sahu from Chhattisgarh, who won the Commandant’s Silver Medal and COAS Trophy for standing first in science stream, said, “When I came here, I was ranked all India number one, and I am passing out as a topper in BSc. These three years were full of experiences and taught us courage, valour and many other things. Every day here was worth living. The curriculum is well designed and well-thought of.”
Sahu is the first from his family to join the Armed Forces. His parents are teachers. He studied at a Sainik School before joining the NDA.
Adjusting to the army life is not an easy task and the transition from a civilian to a defence person is a quite a journey in itself, said Battalion Cadet Captain SKS Chauhan from Bengaluru. “I studied in a military school from Class 6 to 12. There wasn’t any confusion about choosing this career. Initially, there were adjustment problems. By the second term, everyone was equal as we all start from the same level,” the cadet, whose father Vijay Chauhan is a ‘Subedar’ in the Army’s 27 Rajput Battalion, said.
Talking about future plans, he added, “I want to join my father’s battalion.”
Cadet Debashish Singh Deo from Bhubaneswar said that his father. who retired as a junior warrant officer from the Air Force, was the inspiration to him. “I studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya. I wanted to join the Air Force initially having watched fighter jets zooming past my building’s terrace but luck wasn’t in my favour. With time, I got interested in the Navy and joined BTech being the first pioneer course,” he said.
Sarthak Shashikant Dhawan, son of an autorickshaw driver from Kolhapur, dedicated his performance to his family. “I wanted to give it back to my parents by giving them a comfortable and good life and making them proud. Without my father and brother, it wouldn’t have been possible. It was never about winning. It was just about to be able to live the rest of my life with pride and give the same to my parents,” Sarthak told reporters in the presence of his family members.
Sarthak studied till Class 10 at St Xavier’s School in Kolhapur and passed HSC from Services Preparatory Institute in Aurangabad. His mother died in a car accident four years ago.
His father Shashikant said, I used to ferry children to schools and wanted my son to study in a reputed institute. My wife and I wanted him to join the Armed Forces and I am proud of him now.”
“Joining the Armed Forces will be a tribute to my mother,” Sarthak added.
