COVID-19 almost shattered his dream, making him morally weak when his father lost the battle against the second wave of the pandemic on April 23. It was his father’s dream that his son should join Indian Armed Forces at any cost. That was the spark which encouraged A Avish to crack the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination with flying colours. A Avish got 57th All India Rank (AIR) in the exam. Avish will join 114th batch of Short Service Commission Course in Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai soon. Like his father, Avish also suffered from COVID-19 during that period. Due to quarantine norm, Avish missed the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview in Mysore. But, his determination paid back in the exam conducted in Bengaluru. “My desire to join the civil services started when I was in school. My parents, specially my father, sowed the seed in my mind and wanted me to join the Indian Armed Forces. I was not a topper in the school nor was I a gold medallist in my college, but my parents dreamt big. So, I started dreaming big, too,” said A Avish while talking to The Hitavada. Avish’s father J Arulraja, was a Junior Officer in JSW, Kalmeshwar. He is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter. Avish, who is a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya Ambajhari, Nagpur, scored 8.6 CGPA in Class 10.

 

He completed his Class 12 from Vimlatai Tidke Convent with 80% marks and completed his BTech from Yashwantrao Chavhan College of Engineering (YCCE) with 70% marks. “I was determined to join Armed Forces from my school time. while in Class 12, I tried for National Defence Academy (NDA) also but failed to get into it. During my Graduation I started preparation for CDS and got the chance to serve Indian Army in my second attempt,” said Avish. “Prahar Samaj Jagruti Sanstha played a major role in this journey. My mentor Flt Lt Shiwalee Deshpande (Retd) guided me like a parent from the beginning. She was always there during my tough time.

 

Even the friends I made at Prahar helped me know more about the SSB interview,” he added. With his name featuring in the merit list, Avish is yet to receive detains about the joining dates in Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai. When asked Avish about the secret of this achievement, he said, “Groom your personality with determination and be mentally and physically fit to face any challenges. These are the key factors to get into Armed Forces.” Avish’s mother Ragini Arulraja is a Junior Works Manager in Ordnance Factory Ambajhari, now Yantra India Limited, Nagpur. He has one brother A Anish and one sister A Anusha Mary.