On 26 January this year in New Delhi, Amaan Shariff, a class 10 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Anna Nagar, became the only junior NCC Cadet from Chennai in a contingent of 111 NCC Cadets from Tamilnadu, Pondicherry and, Andaman and Nicobar islands, to take part in the prestigious Republic Day Parade.
When News Today spoke to him, we found the youngster to be full of surprises. The high achiever is also a State level table tennis champ. He narrated to us his experience at the Red Fort and also about his exploits with the table tennis racket.
Life in NCC
Amaan says that it was the discipline that made him join the National Cadet Corps (NCC). “I joined NCC in the year 2017 and wearing the uniform inspired me. It changed my way of life and made me disciplined. I now hold the rank of Company Sergeant Major,” he said.
On his selection to be part of the Republic Day Parade, Amaan said, “During the first selecting camp, there were over 2000 candidates from Chennai. After five such camps, only seven junior cadets were selected for the intergroup competition (state level) held at Coimbatore where candidates from all over Tamilnadu, Pondy and Andaman Nicobar Islands participated.”
“I stood first in the firing competition in the preliminary camps and the Army trainers were impressed by my dress sense too,” Aman added.
Finally, after the rigorous training process, the final list of 111 candidates including 102 senior cadets from colleges and nine from junior level were selected for R-Day camp at Delhi on 26 January. Amaan’s NCC Directorate won the All-India titles for R-Day ballet and group song and second position in the group dance. They also won the gold medal for the cultural programme and were runner-up in Prime Minister’s rally.
As a final cherry on top, their ballet was selected by the Prime Minister to be shared to Indian embassies all over the world. Overall, they were declared as runner-up for the PM Banner.
Amaan thanks his school principal Vallaban and his teachers, NCC master Anandan, NCC commanding officer Colonel Asith Ranjan and his other superiors in the National Cadet Corps for providing him the opportunity to participate and excel in the various camps and R-Day activities.
TT exploits
Amaan has also been playing competitive table tennis for the last five years. He has won two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze at KVS regional meet and has represented Chennai region on three occasions at Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, and Chennai in KVS National Table Tennis Tournament.
He said, “I practise for 4 hours every evening at my academy. My major achievement is that I won the silver medal at the Star Sports table tennis meet held at Chennai in 2016 and reached semi-final at Delhi in the KVS National TT tournament.”
Jai Jawan
Amaan Shariff who is just 16 years old has his sights set on becoming an officer of the Indian Army. “I wish to join the Army for its toughness, discipline and its extraordinary acts during times of peace and war. I wish to be a part of the fighting unit of the Indian Army as I’m very fond of action and I am not scared,” says the courageous youngster.
You can reach him at 9003149551.