Many of the people who read the title of this article won’t even read this line !
They, unfortunately, couldn’t be more wrong! Why do people conveniently ignore such a great force? A force which is almost as old as the country herself! A force, the members of which, as youngand vibrant as you, have worked hand in hand with the defence forces! A force which is the SECOND LINE of DEFENCE! FACT: NCC cadets were also employed as patrol parties to capture the enemy paratroopers during the ’65 and ’71 Indo-Pak wars!
And a force which is present right in your campus, and the smart cadets of which, are your friends! The neatly ironed uniform, the smartness, the walk, the talk….. How can it not command respect andadmiration?
The Unit in MIT, the 4 Karnataka Engineer Company, is one of the few NCC Units present inKarnataka. The proud cadets of this unit are engineering students of MIT and Dr.T.M.A PaiPolytechnique. Just like other NCC cadets all over the country, the cadets actively take part invarious social and charitable activities. Activities like blood donation, tree plantation, cleanliness and literacy drives, visits to old-age homes, and clothes donation are part of the calendar. One might ask “ If that is so, then, what’s the difference between NCC and other social organisations? ” Well,how many of the other organisations also offer you adventure activities like trekking, river crossing, rappelling, and [if you are hardworking enough] para jumping? Did I forget to mention the chance to fire self-loading rifles and light machine guns? The closest that you can get to them are only in games like Counter Strike !! How about a taste of the real thing? Want to know how much the rifle actually kicks back into your shoulder or what the real thing sounds like…? The NCC offers you just that! And the development of qualities of character, courage, comradeship, discipline, leadership,secular outlook, spirit of adventure are a given!
And through NCC, you have a more than good chance to get into the armed forces! Who knows oneday you might go on to become General [your name!]. It sounds good! If you do not plan to join the army and want to join the corporate sector, NCC can significantly affect your CV. Infact it might just be the reason for you getting selected over a hundred others…
So, join up! It’s been more than 18 years of the same monotonous life! It’s time to be different,time to be among the few lucky citizens! You can join up at the beginning of next semester, which is August 2011! Don’t miss it like the poor guy who never read beyond the title, because people like them will never progress beyond a certain limit. They will stop at a point, just because they lack the courage! But you don’t! You read the article….. it’s time for the next step! Your chance to enjoy college life a lot more!
Because a cadet lives by chance, loves by choice and serves by profession…..
Prithvijit Ganguly
Manipal The Talk.Net 