Rishikul Defence Academy

Children here used to look at the NCC with reluctance. Now they want a place in it, having worked out that regular attendance builds endurance, self-reliance, teamwork, communication and a sense of responsibility to other people — and that it opens doors besides.

Good colleges award bonus points at admission for NCC experience. A cadet holding the ‘C’ certificate may bypass the UPSC examination and go straight to the Services Selection Board interview for the National Defence Academy. The NCC also runs scholarships for cadets who deserve them.

Beyond that there is the plain experience of it: camps, unfamiliar places, new people, and visits to Air Force stations and other establishments otherwise closed to the public. The unit is run by a full-time qualified Associate NCC Officer.

Scouting was begun by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907 to support young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they might take a constructive part in the society around them. The programme is practical and outdoors — camping, woodcraft, hiking, backpacking and sport.

The movement has been gaining ground steadily here, and some of our scouts are already working towards the President’s Gold Medal. The troop is supervised by a qualified Scout Master who holds that medal himself.