NDA draws elaborate plans to celebrate 60 years

Pune, Apr 9 (UNI) The Country's premier combined armed forces training institution, National Defence Academy (NDA) will be completing 60 years of its eventful existence and have chalked out elaborate plans to celebrate it in a befitting manner.

''It is indeed a matter of pride for me to highlight the significance of the NDA, which has served the country with gallant officers who have lived up to the motto 'Service Before Self' in both war and peace,'' General Officer Commander in Command Lt Gen Nobel Thumburaj said today.

''NDA will be completing 60 years, a significant milestone, on January 16, 2009 and the epochal moment will be celebrated from December 6 to 8, 2008,'' Gen Thamburaj said.

The celebration will include a mixture of adventure, intellectual, cultural and artistic activities based on the training ethos, the General added.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations kickstarted with the ''Desert Safari Expedition'' in Thar, which had eight officers and ten cadets covering 6,000 km along the Indo-Pakistan border in Rajasthan. They touched places like Longewala - famous for battle during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, Pokharan Range (air to ground firing range), Mahajan Field Ranges (for tank, Indian combat vehicles and artillery firing), the General said.

The other events include mountaineering expedition in the Himalayan range, sailing expedition in Kochi, flying expedition and on the spot painting expedition.

The celebrations will witness the august presence of President Pratibha Patil and the Chief Ministers of all the states and the three service chiefs will also grace the occasion, Gen Thumburaj said.

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