Army Vice Chief visits his alma mater

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 23

The Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt Gen SK Saini, on Thursday visited his alma mater Sainik School, Kapurthala. He was received by Maj Gen Balwinder Singh, Chief of Staff, XI Corps; Brigadier Deepak Sheoran, Station Commander, Kapurthala Military Station; and Col Vikas Mohan, principal of the school.

Lt Gen Saini said: “I am proud to be part of the school where each cadet is nurtured, cared for and his persona sculpted to make him a confident person, who is ready to explore diverse opportunities offered by the world.”

He said the school had been instrumental in producing innumerable intellectuals and warriors, who had reached the zenith of their careers across diverse professions, and that the school’s contribution to defence forces and the nation was praiseworthy. It had played an important role in shaping the character of youths by instilling in them the value of patriotism, the official said.

Lt Gen SK Saini applauded the school authorities and the staff for the improved result in the NDA written exam, as 29 of its cadets qualified the exam and 10 cadets qualified the SSB. He congratulated the school as one of its alumni, Lt Akashdeep Singh Dhillon, bagged the prestigious ‘Sword of Honour’ at the recently-held ‘passing out parade’ at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. “My wish is that the school aims to bag the Defence Ministers’ Trophy for sending the maximum number of cadets to the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla,” he said.

Speaking about Covid-19, the General said lauded the efforts by the school authorities to ensure uninterrupted study of cadets by using various IT tools during the lockdown.

Also present on the occasion included Col Prashant Saxena, principal designate; Lt Col Seema Mishra, vice principal; and Lt Cdr Dil Preet Singh Kang.