As India debates patriotism, Javeed, son of daily wager in J&K to join Army

Bengaluru, Feb 23: At a time when the nation is 'debating the meaning of patriotism and nationalism,' here is a bit of news that should inspire millions of Indians. The origin of the story -- Jammu and Kashmir -- makes it more special, considering the developments currently hovering over some parts of India.

Javeed Ahmad Parrey, son of Abdul Rasheed Parrey, a daily wager from Bandipora District of Jammu and Kashmir will soon catch a flight to Chennai chasing his biggest dream of joining the Indian Army.

On April 1, 2016 he will be enrolled at the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai, making his parents, friends and state proud.

Javeed hails from Bandipora, which is infamous for its anti-India sentiments. Bandipora is also closer to the Line of Control. The district is one of the highly-sensitive areas in J&K. And, young Javeed is the first in many decades to make it to the NCC from the region.

Entire Valley proud of Javeed's achievement

Indian Army says his selection has made everyone proud. Ministry of Defence Spokesperson in Srinagar Col NN Joshi said that Javeed's selection has made the entire Valley proud.

According to Col Joshi, Javeed is the only NCC Cadet from the J&K to be selected for the 39th course of NCC Special Entry Scheme for OTA, Chennai.

Javeed joined the NCC in 2011 and through his hard work and selfless dedication he was qualified for 'B' and 'C' certificates from the NCC Group Headquarters in Srinagar.

He drew inspiration from NCC Group Commander Brigadier SS Ratanaparkhi and other officials.

Indian Army's Chinar Corps too played a key role by providing SSB coaching to the Javeed and other cadets at the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.

Now the officials at the Group Headquarter Srinagar are confident that Javeed's success will make the NCC more popular among the youth of Kashmir valley.

An outstanding cadet & very focused

Cdr Sujit Kumar, Commanding Officer, 1 J&K Naval Unit, NCC, told OneIndia over phone from Srinagar that Javeed is as an outstanding cadet.

"He was reasonably good in English when he joined NCC three years ago. He did his graduation from Sri Pratap College on Maulana Azad Road in Srinagar. He now wants to pursue his LLB as well. He is a very good volleyball player as well," says Cdr Sujit.

Javeed is a cadet from 1 J&K Naval Unit. He had participated during the Republic Day Camp (RDC) in 2014, representing J&K.

"He represented us in the ship-modeling competition at RDC. He is a very focused boy," says Cdr Sujit.

Javeed's success will inspire many youngsters

Speaking to OneIndia from Goa over phone, Air Commodore C Rajeev, Deputy Director General, NCC, Karnataka & Goa Directorate, said that cadets like Javeed would inspire many youngsters to join the Services.

"Even late Lt Col Niranjan Kumar too was a NCC cadet (8th Karnataka Battalion, BEL College) and he has become a hero to many Indians now. It is great to see the unity, nationalism and patriotism being spread around through these inspiring stories. These boys are taught about selfless service to the motherland at the NCC level itself," says Air Commodore Rajeev.

Reacting to Javeed's achievement, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, told OneIndia that the role of NCC has significantly increased across India.

"My wishes to Javeed and his story is definitely inspiring. The NCC Directorates across various states are playing their part in creating able men and women capable of serving the nation," Dr Reddy said.

(The writer is an author, blogger and seasoned aerospace and defence journalist in India. His upcoming book 'Precious Souls' captures the inspiring lives of special children and their families. He is currently a Consulting Editor (Defence) with with OneIndia. He tweets @writetake.)