Republic Day NCC Camp - A Life changing experience

For Republic Day, I, Yashodhini Kulkarni and our team from Maharashtra reached Delhi on December 30. Our team leader was Officer Wing Commander Vikram Tyagraman, Air Force. The officers in Delhi were present at the railway station to welcome us. On December 31, the student cadets from different states and their accompanying officers arrived in Delhi. I saw the reflection of 'Mini India'  in these troupes of the different states.

We were given a camp schedule from January 1 and soon the competitions started. The hygiene was well maintained during our meals at the camp. We also experienced Delhi's winter for the first time.

Cadets from Maharashtra were competing in flag camp, ship modeling, cultural program, horse riding, rifle shooting, PM rally, selection for leader of the rally, Best Cadet competition etc. Around 21,155 male students and 732 female students participated in these competitions. 

One of the most interesting thing was the visitors program where we had the opportunity of getting acquainted with students from different countries and see their culture and mannerism. The camp was visited by the chiefs of the three armed forces- Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Narwane, Chief Marshal RK Singh Badhoria and Navy Officer Admiral Karambir Singh. I admired the experience and confidence of NCC cadets at such a young age. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Minister of State for Defense Shripat Yeso Naik, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also visited the NCC camp and interacted with the cadets.
The most memorable moment during the camp was the meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. We even had a 'Tea Party' with them. The practice for 26th January used to start at 2:00am and the cadets worked really hard for this day. We received the opportunity to watch the parade on 26th January and it just felt like a dream come true. It just felt like I actually accomplished something in my life.