Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday night hosted his batch-mates from the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, in a reunion.
Nearly 58 years after, as many as 57 NDA batch-mates of the Chief Minister came together to recall shared memories and experiences of their days of training for the defence services.
Having grown up seeing the uniform, and enamoured with arms since his childhood, the Chief Minister said that joining the army and serving the country was the only life he had dreamt and fantasized about. It was a sentiment that every single of his batch mates seemed to share, as was evident from their memories of their defence life.
Nearly six decades seemed to disappear as the 58 men talked animatedly about those days of stringent tests followed by some tough training, before they could don their uniforms.
Capt Amarinder distinctly remembered the moment when, in July 1959, he joined the George (now Delta) Squadron at NDA, located on the banks of the serene lake Khadakwasla. As many of his batch mates pointed out, Capt Amarinder’s love for the Army had stood the test of time and remained at the heart of his fondest memories.
His batch-mates remembered Capt Amarinder as a distinguished cadet, who captained the riding and polo team at NDA.
Capt Amarinder Singh was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1963 and was posted to the 2nd Battalion, the Sikh Regiment – a battalion in which his father and grandfather had served with distinction before him.
On the occasion, Captain Amarinder released a book “Tryst with Perfidy”, authored written by lt Gen Kamal Davar, Former Chief of Defence Intelligence Agency.