Indore: A solider always serves and is always on duty. Sanjay Mahajan, 40-year-old retired army officer who retired from Indian Army during lockdown, has taken the initiative of training students for joining the Indian Army. He joined the Indian Army at the age of 18 and served for 22 years.
He motivated underprivileged students to serve the country and talked about their duty. Inspired by him, more than 150 students are now fulfilling their social responsibility and also attending physical training classes every morning.
The training sessions are conducted early morning from 5:30 am to 8 am every day in front of Regional Park. Out of 150, over 65 students are female and hope to become an inspiration for their siblings and future generations.
Students are aged between 12 and 22 years and aspire to serve the country in different roles.
One of the students attending trainings Prachi Musaldar said, “I want to make a difference and serve my country, instead of settling down like most women in my community.” She aspires to join the armed forces or police administration.
“We see crime against women around us every day and just saying ‘oh so sad’ will not solve problems, hence, I want to ensure a crime-free India,” Prachi said.
Another female student Muskhan Yadav shared, “For generations, women around me have been told that they are meant to do household chores and play the role of perfect homemakers, but I have a dream to work for my country.” She found a ray of hope when Mahajan invited all the children for free physical training classes.
Similar experiences were shared by Rupa, Chetna and Dimple.
Among boys, most of them feel privileged to be trained by retired officer, as shared by Mohit Chouhan, Rahul Bhalerao, Raja Chouhan and Manish Silawat.
Play their part as Responsible Citizen
Joined the armed forces is not a profession, it is a way of life and an essential duty for every citizen. Keeping in mind that every trainee becomes a responsible citizen, Mahajan takes the group for social service activities on the weekends.
“This Sunday, we will be cleaning Annapurna area and ‘gaushalas’ in the area to fulfil our duty towards our country and everyone who is a part of it including animals,” Mahajan said.
