NDA topper shuns IIT for defence forces, says ‘living my dream now’
An ambition to serve the country by joining the defence forces weighed heavy against a lucrative lifelong career in the field of technology for Shivansh Joshi, a 17-year-old youth from Uttarakhand who has topped the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance examination.
“Serving the country has been my objective since childhood. The love for the country runs in the blood of youngsters of Uttarakhand and I feel fortunate to be liv- ing my dream now,” Shivansh told Hindustan Times.
Shivansh, who hails from Ramnagar, had earlier this year cleared class XII examinations from Little Flower School in Kashipur with a score of 96.8%. He had also cracked JEE Advanced that effectively grants him entry into one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). He, however, had a dream of joining the armed forces and it came true on November 24, when the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declared the results for NDA. When the merit list was displayed on November 25, Shivansh’s name was at the very top followed by 370 others.
While the written test for entrance to NDA was held on April 24, the interview was conducted by the Services Selection Board in the first week of September. Son of a Sanjeev Joshi, who works with LIC India, and Tanuja Joshi, a gov- ernment primary school teacher, Shivansh did not take any coaching. “The key to cracking such competitions is control over your routine,” he said. Shivansh’s schedule did not include hours of study but was well coordinated with sports and other activities like reading. “I played football and used to read books. One cannot study the whole time or play the whole time. A balance is needed to chase your dream,” he added.
This is probably the first time when a youth from Uttarakhand has topped the NDA entrance examination. “I am extremely proud and fortunate to come from a state, which has given the nation people such as national security advisor Ajit Kumar Doval and General Bipin Rawat, the chief of Army staff.
I too want to dedicate my life for the security and pride of the country,” he said. His parents now want their younger son too to join the defence services. “If every son understands his duty towards the country, we would beat any super power.
We want our younger son, who is in class 8 to join the defence forces and make the country proud like Shivansh,” Sanjeev said.