Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Liberalisation changed many things, not least among them salary structures in India. Where once it was possible to own a car and house only towards the end of one8217;s career, it is now possible to have them in a relatively short period of time. Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon and the easiest way is through management courses. The popularity of academic courses like MBA have definitely been at the cost of other careers. One such has been a career in the armed forces.
Chandni Ahlawat met up with some enthusiastic youngsters to ask them as to why they are still so keen to join the forces.
Says, Vikrant Deshpande, 19 years, quot;The defence forces give you a secure life. You make a lot of friends who are even ready to die for you. The social life is great and there are plenty of perks. People have a misconception that the pay is not good as compared to civil salaries, but this is not true. Finally there is a lot of respect awarded to you once you are in the forces.quot;
Girish Parlekar, 18 years, quot;I always wanted to be a fighter pilot because my father was in the air force. Life in the forces is much more dignified because you are doing service to your nation. It may be more dangerous but at least you are doing something for your country.quot;
Nikhil Phadke, 19 years, quot;Every year I would go and watch the passing out parade with one of my friends who was already in NDA. Seeing all the disciplined cadets, I decided that this was the career for me. My friend and I often discuss how the only way to directly serve your motherland is by joining the armed forces. I would ideally like to get into the infantry.quot;
Evidently there is no dearth of dedication and courage in our youth even in the face of the tough conditions we are facing in Kargil. It is a heartening situation and we wish our youngsters all the best in their endeavours.
