Convocation of 149th course of NDA | ‘Sukhoi’s flying in Pune skies inspired me’: All toppers from civilian background, driven by childhood dreams

The passing out batch of 328 cadets of the 149th course included 15 female cadets from the second batch of the female cadets of the academy. Battalion Cadet Captain (BCC) Ananya, who is from this second batch of female cadets, topped the Computer Science stream.

A total of 328 cadets were conferred the degree and course completion certificates from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at the convocation of the 149th course of the NDA which was held on Saturday. The passing out cadets included 72 cadets in Science stream, 92 cadets in Computer Science stream and 52 cadets in Arts stream who were awarded JNU degrees and 112 cadets of Navy and Air Force cadets from the BTech stream who received three years course completion certificates. These Naval and Air Force cadets will be conferred with the degree after completion of one year training at their respective pre-commissioning training academies namely Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy (AFA) respectively. The passing out course comprised 18 cadets from friendly foreign countries.

The Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff Trophy and Commandant’s Silver Medal for the cadet standing first in order of merit in academics in BTech stream were awarded to Division Cadet Captain (DCC) Vishwesh Bhalerao of the Foxtrot Squadron, who is from Pune. Both his parents are practicing ophthalmologists in Pune and he has completed his schooling from DAV Public School in the city. “I joined the NDA because joining the Air Force as a fighter pilot has been my childhood dream and I am working towards achieving it. I have grown up in Pune. Sukhoi’s flying in Pune skies inspired me to join the NDA. Sitting in the balcony with my grandparents or parents, I used to dream of flying them as they thundered in the skies above us. That was my first inspiration. From Class 11, I started seriously preparing for the NDA,” DCC Vishwesh said.

“Having come from a complete civilian background, the disciplined environment and military ethos were new for me. Such beginnings are always challenging but instructors help you sail through. I also did not have a background of physical training and so I took time to get used to it,” Vishwesh added.

The Chief of Naval Staff’s Trophy and Commandant’s Silver Medal for the cadet standing first in Computer Science were awarded to BCC Ananya who is from Uttarakhand and completed her schooling from Faridabad. She is set to join the Army. Ananya had started pursuing her Statistics (Honours) course at Delhi University when she got selected for the NDA. “I do not have a military background. My father runs a business and my mother is in accounting. As a child when I used to see any armed forces officer or personnel, I wanted to become like them. And it has been a dream since my childhood. So, when the NDA started admitting female cadets, I started preparing. I see myself as a changed person after three years of training. Officers and instructors here help navigate the challenging training phase. Each day at the NDA is different and teaches something new.”

The Chief of Army Staff’s Trophy and Commandant’s Silver Medal for the cadet standing first in order of merit in academics in Science stream were awarded to Company Quartermaster Sergeant (CQMS) Kartik Maheshwari who hails from Haldwani in Uttarakhand. His father is a businessman and his mother is a teacher. “The drill instructors, PT instructors, teachers not only train us, they mentor us, groom us and mould us into better human beings. It was my childhood dream to join the Army and with my family’s unconditional support I am on the way to fulfil it.”

The Chief of Air Staff’s Trophy and Commandant’s Silver Medal for the cadet standing first in order of merit in academics in Arts stream were awarded to Battalion Cadet Captain Anurag Gupta who is also from a civilian background and dreamt of joining the NDA from his childhood days.