‘Dandi se Dilli’ Motor Cycle Rally to commemorate 75 years of Independence

National Cadet Corps is a lifestyle, as it grooms the school-going and college-going students. As it is always said, ‘Once a cadet is always a cadet’. National Cadet Corps has groomed so many men and women, boys and girls since so many decades. Being a part of NCC gives you pride for nation, nationalist approach and a dream to don the actual armed forces uniform.

Now the rally has moved towards north but under the 75th Independence year of India, a celebration of Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav initiated by Indian government a bike rally was organized named ‘Dandi se Dilli’ where the cadets will be covering 1300 kms on motorcycle. This journey is interestingly called ‘Salt to Software’.

This rally was flagged in by Maj Gen Neeraj Varshney, VSM, Commandant, EME School Baroda along with large gathering of senior officers, staff, NCC cadets and students.

Why Dandi?

The rally depicts the march carried out by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati ashram to Dandi in Navsari. India is a Software Giant and NCC in its march to 75 years is developing an integrated software with the help of ‘Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics’ (BISAG), which will look into all its functional requirements from entry to exit including training.

The Motor Cycle Rally which has been flagged off at Dandi is carrying a pot of Salt, along with Software being developed at BISAG (Ahmedabad) will be handed over to the Prime Minister during the NCC Day Parade on 28 Jan 23, thus symbolizing the aspect of “Atmanirbhar Bharat Ka Salt Se Software Ka Safar”.

The team was welcomed with great enthusiasm and flagged in by Maj Gen Neeraj Varshney, VSM, Commandant, EME School Baroda along with a large gathering of senior officers, staff, NCC cadets and students. The commandant also interacted with the cadets and motivate them with his words of wisdom. Cadets also feel proud to be part of such historical occasion.

“It’s an amazing feeling as this rally gives us the opportunity to comes out of our comfort zones. I am already biking towards my college but this is something special as we are representing Gujarat in such a golden moment where we are celebrating 75 years of Indian Independence and NCC,” said Seargent Solanki Kunika of Girls Battalion Surat.

Associate NCC officer Liutenant Ukti Patel from 20 Gujarat Battalion is feeling proud to be part of this historic occasion where they are motivating the youths and showing the development of India from Salt to Software. Brigadier N.S. Chaarag Sena Medal is leading the rally. Colonel V.M. Singh, Lieutenant Colonel T.S. Bhatyal, Wing Commander Samir Mehra are the other members in the rally. On Monday Brigadier B.S. Poswal Sena Medal, Station Commander Vadodara will flag off the rally from EME School towards Ahmedabad.

During the next two days, the team will be in Ahmedabad, where it would visit Sabarmati Ashram and pay tributes to the Great Mahatma. It would also interact with the Governor of Gujarat at Rajbhavan. Carrying their message onward, the team would interact with the citizens at the local Jawa Yezdi dealership as also perform Nukkad Nataks at Riverfront and Adalaj Step Wells.

Beyond Ahmedabad, the Rally will pass through Udaipur – Ajmer –  Jaipur and Alwar, where it will be received by local dignitaries, NCC Cadets and Officials. The team will interact with local school children and youth and spread the message of Rising India and exhort them to give further impetus to the story of India’s growth.

As a precursor to this event, another team of 20 Cadets undertook a 422 km Cycle Rally from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi, along Mahatma Gandhi’s famous Dandi Yatra in partnership with another major success story of India, Amul as part of “Atmanirbhar Bharat Ka Safar Swavalambhan Ki Aur”. Both Rally teams visited the Salt Satyagrah Museum and paid their respect to the Father of the Nation.