Journalism of Courage
Honour : Mohit Markale does his Army family proud by topping the order of merit
Mohit Markale did not have to look around for motivation with an elder brother and father already in the Army,all the inspiration he needed was right there at his home. And,this Pune youth,from Hadaspur,did not let his family down he stood first in the overall order of merit in the 117th course of the National Defence Academy.
The recipient of the Presidents Gold Medal,Mohit also commanded the NDA passing-out parade of the course at the Khetarpal Parade Ground on Sunday. In all,261 cadets passed out from the academy on Sunday.
Mohit said given the defence background at his home,he had no doubts that he would join the services as well. My father and brother have been my motivation. Ive wanted to join the services all my life. I like the Army way of life, he said,visibly thrilled at his success.
The sentiment was shared by his family too. Im on top of the world. We are very proud of our sons, Col (Retd) Mahesh Markale,Mohits father,told the media after the parade. Markales elder son Kedar is also in the Army he passed out of the Indian Military Academy in December 2007. For Markale,who retired recently,his sons joining the Army is his way of showing loyalty to the nation. They are the third generation in the family to have joined the Army. It was my uncle who first joined. I took inspiration from him and now my children have also joined the services.Markale was born in Markal village near Alandi. I did not motivate my children or discourage them. All I told them was that the Army life is tough,not so much physically but mentally. Mohit said he felt that there was nothing too tough about it. If one is prepared mentally,then anything can be achieved.
His elder brother Kedar,a Lieutenant in the Army,added that Army chief General Deepak Kapoor,who was the chief guest at the passing-out parade,had asked them Will you make your father proud?,to which they have given an emphatic answer. Mohit,a product of Services Preparatory Institute in Aurangabad,had a three-month stint at the city-based Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce before he joined the NDA.
S Bhargava won the silver medal and AS Kushwah bronze at the passing-out parade.
