Three Mandi boys’ journey: from cadets to officers

The Indian Army has picked Senior Under Officer Pankaj Kumar, Army Wing Cadet Pulkit Kapoor, and Cadet Warrant Officer Vinay Thakur of NCC Air Force Wing, Mandi, to become officers. Ajay Kumar, a cadet warrant officer, is now training at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad with the goal of becoming a flying officer in the Indian Air Force.

Three NCC cadets from Vallabh Government College have been chosen for training at the Officer Training Academy in Chennai for the first time in the college’s history, and one cadet is now pursuing training to become a flying officer.

The NCC Special Entry Scheme was used to select all three of the deserving cadets. From Vallabh Government College, Pankaj Kumar, Vinay Thakur, and Pulkit Kapoor have received their degrees.

Pankaj Kumar and Vinay Thakur were NCC Air Wing cadets at Vallabh Government College in Mandi. During his undergraduate years, Pulkit Kapoor was an NCC Army cadet.

According to Vinay Thakur, Flying Officer Dr. Chaman, an Associate NCC Officer, gave him valuable advice on how to prepare for the SSB interview and enhance his personality inside the NCC.

“In addition to being an Associate NCC officer, Flying Officer Dr. Chaman has also served as the Head and Professor of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Vallabh Government College,” said Senior Under Officer Pankaj Kumar.

“I feel proud to be a disciple and cadet of Dr. Chaman,” Pankaj Kumar said. The course on journalism and mass communication has been very helpful in developing my personality.

From Vallabh Government College in Mandi, Kumar graduated with a degree in journalism and mass communication. He is now studying an MA in mass communication and journalism at HPU.

“Cadet Warrant Officer Vinay Thakur and Senior Under Officer Pankaj Kumar have represented Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh Directorate in the National Republic Day Parade in 2021 and 2022, respectively,” said Flying Officer Dr. Chaman Lal Kranti Singh.

“In NCC institutional training, community development programs, adventure activities, blood donation, and sports competitions, all three cadets have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments,” the speaker said.

“Pankaj belongs to Kotmoras (Dhar) panchayat of Mandi,” said Dr. Chaman. Diwan Thakur, his father, works as a farmer and social worker. Vinay Thakur is from Bijni, a hamlet close to Mandi. Even when his father passed away unexpectedly, Vinay worked hard to be where he is now. Nikita, Vinay’s sister, was also a cadet at NCC Air Wing Mandi. Pulkit Kapoor, the cadet officer, is from the Mandi ward of Khaliyar. While his father works for a private corporation, his mother works at the local school.

Over a dozen cadets have been appointed as commissioning officers in the Army and Air Force under Dr. Chaman’s tutelage in the last several years.