Odia boy gets Sword of Honour at the IMA passing out parade

Odisha boy Pratyush Kumar Mohanty was awarded the Sword of Honour at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) passing out parade for best all-round performance.

It is given to the best all-around gentlemen cadet (GC) and is one of the most coveted awards of the academy. A beaming Pratyush said that the sword would always remind him to perform his duties in the best way possible. He accepted that the responsibility on one’s shoulders increases when a recipient of such an award joins his unit.

Pratyush, an alumnus of the Dehradun-based Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), has opted for infantry and will be joining the Dogra regiment.

After receiving the award, an elated Mohanty said, “I was in RIMC from class eight till class 12 after which I appeared for the NDA entrance exam and now, after graduating from the IMA, I have realized my dream of becoming an officer in the Indian Army.”

He said that after watching the movie ‘Lakshya’, he was so motivated by it that “I wanted to do the same thing that the Army men depicted in the movie were doing.”

His mother, Prativa Kumari Mohanty added, “This is one of the greatest moments of my life. My son has always been a sincere student excelling in most of the things that he takes on but becoming an Army officer was something which he wanted since childhood and I am so happy that he has achieved his dream.”

Pratyush also won the bronze medal for the GC standing third in the order of merit in the course. The gold medal for the GCs standing first and second in the overall order of merit were presented to Malla Rama Gopal Naidu and Suyash Gupta respectively. Chief of Army staff banner was awarded to Alamein Company for standing overall first amongst 16 companies.

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