Maharashtra To Lead The NSS Contingent At RD Parade

Nashik’s Darpesh Dingar To Lead

New Delhi, Jan. 24: Maharashtra has been privileged to lead the National Service Scheme (NSS) Contingent in this RD Parade this Year. Shri Darpesh Dingar, a student of Sinhgad Institute of Engineering College, Pune, will lead the the contingent.

Nashik District’s Darpesh Vijaysingh Dingar, NSS Volunteer, will make history when he would lead a contingent of 148 NSS volunteers on this Republic Day parade.

A total of 14 students from Maharashtra and two from Goa have been selected for this prestigious Parade. A total of 200 NSS volunteers have participated in this camp from 15 departments across the country, out of which 160 have been selected.

Darpesh Dingar Through His Sheer Dedication Has Seen This Light Of The Day

Shri Darpesh Dingar hails from the Malegaon Taluka of Nashik District. His sharp, and commanding voice, discipline, punctuality and hard work, leadership qualities have made him achieve this commendable achievement. He says, ‘He felt elated when his name was announced. The 21-year-old Lieutenant Commander was delighted when the announcement was made. “It was a moment of pride and glory; my name goes down in the history of the SPPU Pune, Maharashtra. There is a huge competition in national-level between the students of the NSS to participate in the Parade of the Republic Day at Rajpath. Darpesh said that it is a matter of pride for the leadership of the NSS team of 160 students. And of-course, the opportunity also makes me more responsible,” adds Darpesh.

“When I was studying in Sinhagad Engineering College (Narhe, Pune), I joined NSS and was fascinated with the uniform,” reveals Darpesh, He joined the NSS in 2018. Being a NSS contingent, one of the biggest challenges Darpesh faced was to keep the volunteers motivated. The strenuous physical training, matching the exact routine of the NSS Volunteers, toughened his. He says, “As an NSS Volunteer, it is my duty to keep their mindset positive. We ate together, hung out and eventually developed a bond which I will always cherish in life. NSS is all about Volunteer -Society relationship.”

There was more to his calling. “I was selected in Pre-RD Camp Nagpur, but I came to Republic Day Camp to participate in the NSS contingent selections for the Republic Day parade in 2018-19,” he says, adding, “Eventually only four of us were selected. And then the NSS contingent was formed with 148 volunteers and I was asked to lead the group based on my performance.” “Practicing running; sit ups, pushups, chin ups, etc., were done religiously so that our bodies shape up well,” he says, adding, “We also practice drill for the parade and our moments are monitored and corrected whenever necessary by the instructors. It’s imperative that our timing should be in sync with the team, and the instructors worked hard to help us get the rhythm.” Darpesh says that life in the NSS made his become more clear-cut. “Earlier, I was very indecisive, but now it’s changed after I got into the NSS. My responsibilities and charter of duties transformed me into a different and a more confident person,” says Darpesh.

Earlier, the responsibility of leading the National Service Scheme from the front, at the Republic Day on Rajpath was accomplished by Maharashtra's Sopan Munde, Khushbu Joshi and Asif Shaikh.

This year, the National Sports and Youth Welfare Ministry has started the NSS practice camp at Chanakyapuri at International Youth Hostel, from January 1 for the Republic Day. A total of 200 NSS students from 15 departments across the country have participated.