A passing-out parade of cadets and trainees who completed the 81st Naval Academy Course and the 11th Naval Orientation Course from the Indian Naval Academy here was held on Monday. Vice-Admiral K.N. Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, Kochi, who reviewed the parade, presented medals, including the prestigious President’s Gold Medal, to meritorious trainees. INA Commandant Vice-Admiral Anurag G. Thapliyal was present. The 81st Naval Academy Course of three-year duration began in January 2008 on INS Mandovi, the erstwhile Naval Academy in Goa, and concluded here with the award of B.Sc. degree. The 11th batch of Naval Orientation Course trainees began the five-month training at the academy in June 2010. A total of 222 trainees, including 57 from the Coast Guard, passed out. Among the 203 Naval Orientation Course trainees, 30 were women.
Squadron Cadet Captain Prabhat Pankaj was awarded the President’s Gold Medal on his being adjudged first in overall order of merit in the Naval Academy Course. Squadron Cadet Captain Praveen Kumar and Squadron Cadet Adjutant Sandeep Kumar Khuntia, who stood second and third, were awarded the Chief of Naval Staff Silver Medal and the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Bronze Medal. In the Naval Orientation Course, the Chief of Naval Staff Silver Medal was awarded to Sub-Lieutenant Anand T, who was adjudged first in overall merit. Assistant Commandant Praveen Kumar Iyer was awarded the Commandant INA Bronze Medal for standing second. Assistant Commandant Nidhi Jaiswal bagged the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Silver Medal for the best woman trainee of the 11th Naval Orientation Course. The parade concluded with the trainees lining up in two columns and marching past the Quarter Deck to the tunes of Auld Lang Syne…, a traditional martial tune played across the armed forces while saying adieu to colleagues and comrades. On completion of the parade, the ‘Shipping the Stripe’ ceremony was conducted at the Southern Plaza of the academy. Parents of the Naval Orientation Course trainees shipped the Naval and Coast Guard stripes of their wards, symbolising the award of the President’s commission to the young officers. The trainees’ magazine, Ahoy, was released by the chief guest. The officers who completed the courses will proceed to various Naval and Coast Guard establishments to consolidate their training, and the sea cadets for training on board the training ships. – BBC
