GARUD SAARATHI
ST ALOYSIUS COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS), MANGALURU
MARCHING TOWARDS
PERFECTION
The meeting was held on 22nd August 2021 on the video conferencing platform, zoom. About 22 cadets joined in with us during the webinar. The topics that were covered during the seminar included the different methods to ensure a cadet’s selection into the Republic Day Camp (RDC) and the Youth Exchange Program (YEP).
The meeting started at 1800 hours with a brief introduction of the seminar by the moderator of the meeting, Cadet Joel Saldanha. Cadet Anwitha did the honors of welcoming the guest and gave a brief introduction of the chief guest, CSUO Niranjan Ramankatti.
He was selected for two of the most prestigious camps in NCC, the RDC and the YEP camps. He was selected for RDC -2018-19 batch during Which he was given best cadet award for Karnataka and goa directorate. He was also awarded the PM rally medal and the DDG recommendation medal. He was also among one of the most privileged cadets to be selected for YEP 2018, conducted in Russia.
He also received a medal for being the winner of the International Rally of Young Patriots from the government of Russia. Our chief guest also attended more than 15 camps during his NCC tenure. He was the commander of the Belgaum group in the Leadership Camp under whom they received the first place on the directorate level for the best contingent award. He led the same troop for the 70th Republic Day in 2019.
The session was then handed over to the chief guest, CSUO Niranjan Ramankatti at about 1805 hours, who shared his experience in NCC with us. He started with a self-introduction about his journey in NCC, which started during his school days. He completed his NCC A certificate in his school and then continued NCC during his degree in Engineering, in Belagavi. Although he missed his All India Vayu Sainik Camp in his second year of NCC due to his first internal exams, he had not only topped the AIVSC test, he was also selected for RDC and received the Best Cadet Award in the Karnataka-Goa Directorate.
Our guest also had the opportunity to visit Russia through the Youth Exchange Program, or YEP. He told us how he noticed the difference between our culture and theirs. The cadets were encouraged to interact with each other, to understand each other’s culture and experiences. The YEP in Russia is of the longest duration, which is about twenty days.
"Russia is one of the top most delegations in YEP” -CSUO Niranjan Ramankatti
The CSUO then gave us a few tips on how we as cadets could enter the RD Camp through Best Cadet Competition.
“A cadet needs to be thorough with the Special subject, the Common subject and current affairs” was what he told us regarding it. He also told us how the cadets are provided with healthy food, hot water for sanitation, warm clothes for the cold and vaccines to ensure each and cadet is healthy for the camp in Delhi. He told us the importance of eating healthy food and avoiding junk and salty food for staying healthy. To qualify for RDC, there are multiple camps to go through, to perfect a cadet’s knowledge in Special and Common subjects along with Current Affairs and Drill.
He then moved on to tell us regarding YEP selections, that starts during Inter-Group Competitions where a cadet’s skills in various aspects are tested. He also listed all the eleven countries for YEP: Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Turkmenistan. The camp duration varies from one country to another.
“Try inculcating leadership qualities in yourself” said the chief guest, regarding the qualities a cadet must possess for qualifying for RDC and YEP. He also recommended us a few books and materials to refer for the Camps; Mainly, the Competition Success Review (CSR) Magazine, Daily newspapers or News applications for Mobile phones, and the common and the special subject books from NCC.
He concluded his talk by bringing the cadets from commerce background into the limelight, by saying: “You have to read a lot.” He stressed upon the fact that the cadets from commerce background must work extra hard, and take help from science students, when it comes to special subject in NCC Air Wing.
The next part of the webinar was the Q&A session at 1850 hours, handled by Cadet Rishika, who narrated the questions to the chief guest, put forward by the members of the meeting. Most of the questions were regarding his experience in Russia during his YEP. He answered all the questions really well and to the point, with his splendid communication skills and knowledge.
The meeting was handed over to the ANO of NCC Air Wing of St. Aloysius College, Flying Officer Alwyn Stephen Misquith, who delivered the finishing remarks for the webinar and thanked the guest for motivating the cadets by sharing his life experiences. He also thanked our Senior and Ex-Cadet Anish Rahul, who made the webinar possible.
The session came to an end at around 1932 hours with the vote of thanks delivered by Cadet Kenneth D’sa, and a photo session.
