Catching them young seems to be the mantra behind the competitions being organised by the Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 13 Puducherry in the run-up to the 39th Raising Day of the Indian Coast Guard on February 1.
Kicking off the celebrations was a painting competition organised for schoolchildren from Puducherry, Villupuram and Cuddalore on Saturday.
The students were asked to take inspiration from posters showing Coast Guard personnel in different roles, including search and rescue, anti-piracy, anti-smuggling and environmental missions.
“Not many people are really aware of the role of the Coast Guard. We want to educate the younger generation on our work and motivate them. With competitions like this, we can introduce the children to the career opportunities in the Coast Guard,” said Commandant N. Somasundaram, who heads the operations here.
The competition, which had around 200 participants, also had a good number of girl students.
“The Indian Coast Guard offers a diverse range of options for women as pilots, divers, medical officers and other roles. We want the girl students also to think of considering a career with us,” he said.
G. Jayashri, a Class V student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Jipmer, said she was interested in taking up a short stint in the Coast Guard before studying for the Civil Services. “The Coast Guard plays an important role in helping fishermen and rescue operations,” she said.
This is the first major celebration after the Indian Coast Guard station in Puducherry was upgraded to District Headquarters No. 13 in May 2014, bringing the coastal areas of Puducherry, Karaikal, Cuddalore and Villupuram under its jurisdiction.
Expansion plans
Commandant Somasundaram said that the hoverport at Puducherry should get ready in around six months. He added that the station would also acquire a Dornier aircraft and a search and rescue helicopter as part of the air squadron here. Long term plans for the Coast Guard station here includes acquiring Deep Draft Vessels, he said.
“With the Headquarters here getting strengthened, the Puducherry base will be one to reckon with on the Eastern coast,” said the Commandant.
Other events include a boat race for fishermen on January 26, an environmental walkathon on the Beach Road on January 28, a blood donation camp at the Jipmer on January 30 and a quiz competition for schoolchildren at the Jipmer auditorium on January 31.
