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Passing out Parade, NDA
 As
the Military Band played the tune of "Auld
Lang Syne", 312
cadets of 100th batch of The National Defence Academy,
Khadakvasla passed out of the portals of the Academy.
The reviewing officer of the parade was the Vice
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Vijay Oberoi.
In his endearing address to the cadets, the General
asked them to maintain the high traditions of camaraderie
that the Academy had instilled in them. Earlier
the General took the salute of an  impressive
parade, where 1050 cadets divided into 20 squadrons
took part. The Chief presented Medals
to the cadets who ranked the top three in the batch
and the Chief Of Staff banner to the Golf Squadron.
The parade culminated with a fly past by 3 Jaguars
and 3 Sukhoi aircrafts.
Later addressing a press conference, Lt Gen Vijay
Oberoi warned the `neighbouring countries' not to
mistake India as a `soft state'. `He reiterated
that `Soft states would not do what we did in Kargil,
nor would they take a stand on nuclear options the
way we did or help create nations like Bangladesh
during the 1971 war.
 He
went on to say that there was a concerted attempt
by various neighbouring countries to destabilise
the nation and added that it was the duty of not
only the armed forces but also every citizen to
ensure that this did not happen. Expressing optimism
over the creation of Defence Intelligence Agency
(DIA) of the combined services, he said that
it would help give a big boost to the intelligence
neetwork in the country.
 Battalion
Cadet Captain (BCC) V B Patil created history
when he was awarded the President's Gold Medal,
becoming the first Maharashtrian in 25 years to
win the prestigious award. BCC R K Serrao bagged
the silver and BCC Manoj Kumar the bronze. "I'm
on top of the world right now," said V B Patil,
who hails from Kolhapur. "I've worked hard
for the past three years and winning the President's
Gold Medal has helped me leave a mark on the
100th course. It couldn't have been better, "
he sighed. Patil finished first in the over-all
merit list and first in academics.
 Just
then, the sound of nine Surya Kiran aircrafts
tearing across the sky filled the air and for the
next five minutes, the audience were mesmerised
by the splendid tri-colour formation display by
the Surya Kiran team. Indeed a befitting end to
the passing out parade.
Rahul Surkund
Photos:– Vinayak Prabhu |
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