Muhammed Rafi and V.J. Aswin had carried a ‘fighter plane,’ a ‘transport vehicle,’ and a ‘helicopter’ all the way to New Delhi on a train. Building a fighter plane in less than 50 hours was even more challenging, they said.
However, when the National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets reached the Thiruvananthapuram railway station on Saturday they were beaming with pride. The cadets flashed their gold medals, the reward for creating the best static miniature replicas in aero-modelling.
107 cadets
They were among the 107 cadets who represented Kerala in the Republic Day Camp-2013 and Prime Minister’s Rally in New Delhi recently.
The team along with 10 NCC officers, eight Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) and five civilian staff were given a warm reception by the NCC Directorate here on Saturday.
Friends and family members of the cadets too were present to welcome them.
C. Thejus of the Naval Wing, who bagged the Second Best cadet award in junior division at the national level, and P. Jayakrishnan, who won a bronze medal at Equestrian event, were the other medal winners.
Thejus told The Hindu that he was proud to represent the State in the competition and the trip was a memorable experience.
“The competition was tough as we had participants from all over the country. There were rounds such as drills, firing and personality tests for the competition. I am happy I could give my best performance,” he said.
This year 20 cadets from the State participated in the Rajpath march, eight were selected for guard of honour ceremony and 50 students participated in the Prime Minister’s Rally as part of the Republic Day parade, said Trainer Officer Colonel P.G. Vinod.
Brigadier G. Subramanian , Deputy Director General NCC (Kerala & Lakshadweep); Colonel P.G. Krishna, Director, NCC Directorate (Kerala & Lakshadweep);, Colonel G. Ramachandran, Group Commander, Thiruvananthapuram Region; Wing Commander C. Darshan; and Wing Commander D. Sendhil Kumar, among many others, were present to receive them.
Banner Ceremony
The Education Minister’s Banner Ceremony, to felicitate the cadets, will be held on Tuesday at the Durbar Hall of the Secretariat. Minister for Education P.K. Abdu Rabb will give away medals and cash awards to the winners.
