Girl cadets torchbearers of change, courage & capability, says NDA convocation chief guest
Pune: Poonam Tandon, the vice-chancellor of Deen Dayal Upadhyay University, Gorakhpur, on Thursday said the passing out girl cadets of the NDA were the torchbearers of change, courage and capability, and their example would inspire generations to come.
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Tandon was the chief guest at the convocation of the 148th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA). Addressing the cadets, she said, "Girls, your achievement today is not just your own. It is a breakthrough for thousands of young women across India, who look up to you."
She continued, "You have proven that the pursuit of excellence and service knows no gender. Your presence here is historic, and your example will inspire future generations.
I salute your grit, grace and determination."
A total of 309 cadets were conferred a bachelor's degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University at the convocation. Eighty-four cadets were conferred degrees in the science stream, 85 in the computer science stream and 59 in the arts stream. Seventeen cadets from friendly foreign countries were also awarded degrees.
In addition, the B Tech stream comprising 111 Navy and Air Force cadets received a "three-year course completion" certificate.
These Naval and Air Force cadets would be conferred with the degree after the completion of one-year training at their respective pre-commissioning training academies — Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala, and Air Force Academy (AFA), Hyderabad, respectively.
Tandon, the chief guest at the convocation, said parents had shown remarkable strength and resolve in offering their children in the service of our motherland.
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"I commend you for nurturing values of patriotism, discipline and courage in them. Your unwavering support is the wing beneath which we need their wings," she said.
She said the cadets' degree was not merely a formal academic requirement. "It is a foundation, a launching pad to intellectual and professional excellence. As future leaders of men and women in uniform, you must strive to become not only physically fit and tactically sound but also mentally agile, emotionally intelligent and ethically grounded," she said.
"The demand for modern warfare and global geopolitics necessitates the development of intellectual strength. As Thucydides, the Athenian historian and general, said over two millennia ago, the nation that makes a great distinction between the scholar and its warrior will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools," she added.
Vice Admiral Gurucharan Singh, the NDA Commandant, addressing the convocation of the course, said, "I am confident that the first graduating batch of female cadets, along with their male counterparts, will carve a name for themselves as exemplary leaders of both men and women.
Remember, your decisions will shape lives and your actions will inspire generations."
He said, "The nation looks up to you with hope and trust, not just to defend its borders, but to uphold the values that make our society just, compassionate and strong. Serve with honour, lead with courage and remain forever true to the ideals you have sworn to protect. You are the torchbearers of a very proud legacy."
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