Officer from Kundapur leads Coast Guard contingent at Rajpath

Udupi: It is a dream come true for

Coast Guard Deputy Commandant H T Manjunath

,35, from

Kundapur

, who led the Coast Guard contingent at the

Republic Day parade

, that showcases India’s military might and cultural diversity, at

Rajpath

, Delhi.

Son of retired police sub-inspector T N Thimmappa and homemaker Vijayalakshmi, from Vinayanagar in Kumbashi, Manjunath was always keen on joining the armed forces.

He told TOI over the phone after the parade on Wednesday, “It’s an honour to lead our contingent. It has been my dream, and I believe that I have done my best. Everyone has been congratulating me. It’s a good opportunity, and I really aspired for this role ever since I was a student. I tried hard to be part of the Republic Day parade as an NCC cadet. As an NSS volunteer, I was selected to participate at the national level, but could not make it due to some issues. I was part of the state NSS team that took part in the Republic Day parade in Bengaluru in 2007.”

Expressing happiness over serving in the Indian Coast Guard, he said that it is a multi-mission organisation conducting round-the-year real-life operations at sea. There are a lot of good opportunities in the organisation, said Manjunath, who is currently posted in Delhi, and married to Vidyarani.

Manjunath has three older sisters, who are teachers. Back home in Kundapur, his father Thimmappa said, “It is indeed a proud moment for the state and a time to celebrate at home. Due to the pandemic, we watched our son lead the contigent on the television screen. People from Hosanagar, our hometown, Bhatkal, where I served in the police for two decades, and Udupi are reaching out to congratulate us,” Thimmappa said.

Manjunath did his schooling at the New English School and college at Anjuman Arts, Science and Commerce College, Bhatkal.