NDA cadets emerge with flying colours at winter passing-out parade

It was as a proud moment for the 253 cadets at the Passing-Out Parade of the 135th course at the National Defence Academy (NDA). Cadet Jaipreet Singh's joy knew no bounds when he received the President’s gold medal on the Khetarpal ground on Friday. Cadet Parimal Parasar, an alumnus of the UP

Sainik School

in Lucknow, was awarded silver and Swapnil Gupta, alumnus of Sainik School Rewa (MP), bronze, for standing second and third respectively in the overall order of merit of the passing-out batch, while the C (Charlie) squadron received the Chief of Staff banner. The previous day, the cadets were conferred degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

In a rare moment, the three president’s medal winners had no defence family background. Jaipreet, despite clearing the JEE advance entrance test for engineering, decided to join NDA. He said, "I was fascinated by fighter aircrafts. Hence, I joined the academy and will be undergoing training for the IAF soon. The course was challenging but we all were determined to succeed.” For Swapnil Gupta, his schooling at Sainik School Rewa made him decide to join the forces, while Parimal Parasar, who dedicated his success to his mother, was motivated by his seniors and professors.

Pics: Shashank Sane