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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

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  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
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252 trainees commissioned as Associate NCC Officers

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Air Marshal Ajit S Bhonsle, Deputy Chief IDS (DOT)
reviewing the Passing Out Parade at NCC OTA..
The Pre-commission and Direct Commission Associate
NCC Officers of Senior and Junior Divisions of NCC
OTA Kamptee marching during Passing Out Parade. 

Air Marshal Ajit S Bhonsle reviews passing out parade at NCC OTA 

By Dheeraj Fartode
A joint passing out parade for Pre-commission and Direct Commission Associate NCC Officers (ANOs) of Senior and Junior Divisions of National Cadet Corps (NCC) was held at NCC Officers Training Academy, Kamptee with traditional military grandeur and decorum on Saturday.

Air Marshal Ajit S Bhonsle AVSM VSM, Deputy Chief Integrated Defence Staff (DOT) reviewed the impressive Passing Out Parade. The ceremony was witnessed by a number of Service and civilian dignitaries, guests, relatives of Officer-Cadets, school children and NCC cadets. The parade was followed by ‘Pipping Ceremony’ wherein badges of ranks were worn by 252 successful trainees commissioned as ANOs.

Adresseing the officers, Air Marshal Bhonsle said, the youth of the country is a national asset and its development is a task of great significance and importance. NCC plays a key role in development of youth and nation-building. In this context, he said, the role of NCC OTA at Kamptee assumes greater dimension in ‘training the trainers’.

The Officer-Cadets went through a rigorous training programme of three months duration to empower them to conduct NCC training efficiently in their respective units. These academicians trained into Associate NCC Officers showed their metal in an impressive March Past to the tune of ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’ rendered by Maratha Light Infantry Centre Band. The brass band regaled the spectators with exquisite quality of tunes played on a range of instruments.

Lt Abdul Adil Abdul Hamid Kazi of Gujarat Directorate was awarded DG’s Baton for being the first in the Order of Merit. Lt Akshay Deepakrao Mandlik of Karnataka & Goa Directorate was awarded Commandant’s Silver Medal for being second in the Order of Merit. Lt Raghuveer Raghumahanti of Uttarakhand Directorate was awarded the Commandant’s Bronze Medal for being third in the Order of Merit.

In Junior Division, Dhirendra Singh Pathania of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh Directorate was awarded DG’s Baton for being the first in the Order of Merit. Vijay Singh Purawat of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Directorate was awarded Commandant’s Silver Medal, and Deepak M Poria of Maharashtra Directorate was awarded Commandant’s Bronze Medal for being second and third respectively in the Order of Merit. Lt Akshay Mandlik commanded the parade.
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