Hundreds with flower bouquets and garlands lined up near the Biju Patnaik International Airport here to greet lieutenant Chandrakant Acharya.
Chandrakant has made Odisha proud by winning the Gold Medal and the Sword of Honour Award at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Derhadun.
His fans were members of the Air Force Association Odisha Branch, the Armed Forces Veterans of Odisha and the Indian Ex-Services league Odisha and their families.
A city boy from Sailashree Vihar, who studied at DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur from lKG to Class VIth, Chandrakant cleared his entrance for Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun.
Chandrakant joined the RIMC, Dehradun, in 2007 and completed his course from Class VIIth to Class XIIth over there. He had secured all-India rank (AIR) 6 in RIMC entrance. He passed out from the RIMC in 2012. Then he cleared his National Defence Academy (NDA) examination in the 4th attempt.