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This story is from February 27, 2006
Captain courageous
Being a part of the first ever women's group of the Indian Army to scale the Mt. Everest, Captain Ashwini S Pawar is literally on cloud nine.
Scaling heights has always been her passion. After conquering the world's highest peak last year, Vadodara's Captain Ashwini S Pawar has added one more feather to her cap.
In an investiture ceremony, the 27-year-old mountaineer will be conferred with a Vishishtha Seva Medal for her outstanding achievement. Thus making her one of the first women Army officers from the state to receive the honour.
"I am eagerly looking forward to the official ceremony where I will walk up to the President of India to receive the medal," says an overjoyed Ashwini. "I was extremely happy to see my name," she says.
It is celebration time at the Pawar residence where the young achiever has come down for a short vacation.
"We were pretty chilled out when our daughters started climbing. My attitude was, if they emerge winners, great, or else, at least they dared to attempt," says father Ajit Pawar.
Ashwini is currently busy completing a seven-month professional course in Jabalpur. The award has been a shot in the arm and now she aims to encourage and bring dedicated mountaineers to this field.
"This came to me as an opportunity but there are many in the Army who don't have enough information on how to pursue similar adventure sports.
I want to motivate them," she says. And her first mission in this direction would be to spread awareness regarding opportunities in the armed forces ��� which, Ashwini feels is a not-so-popular career option amongst Gujaratis.
"They are very few army units in our state. At times, it's the environment that motivates youngsters to take it up. Had it not been for the NCC training even I wouldn't have known of the prospects," she concludes.
In an investiture ceremony, the 27-year-old mountaineer will be conferred with a Vishishtha Seva Medal for her outstanding achievement. Thus making her one of the first women Army officers from the state to receive the honour.
"I am eagerly looking forward to the official ceremony where I will walk up to the President of India to receive the medal," says an overjoyed Ashwini. "I was extremely happy to see my name," she says.
It is celebration time at the Pawar residence where the young achiever has come down for a short vacation.
And the icing on the cake is a Commendation Card from the Chief of Army staff to sister, Captain Gopika as well, who too was part of the team supporting the first ever, four-member women's group of the Indian Army that scaled Mt. Everest on June 2, 2005.
"We were pretty chilled out when our daughters started climbing. My attitude was, if they emerge winners, great, or else, at least they dared to attempt," says father Ajit Pawar.
Ashwini is currently busy completing a seven-month professional course in Jabalpur. The award has been a shot in the arm and now she aims to encourage and bring dedicated mountaineers to this field.
"This came to me as an opportunity but there are many in the Army who don't have enough information on how to pursue similar adventure sports.
I want to motivate them," she says. And her first mission in this direction would be to spread awareness regarding opportunities in the armed forces ��� which, Ashwini feels is a not-so-popular career option amongst Gujaratis.
"They are very few army units in our state. At times, it's the environment that motivates youngsters to take it up. Had it not been for the NCC training even I wouldn't have known of the prospects," she concludes.
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