For the 9th standard student from Stanes Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore, nothing mattered but his goal — to make it to the Republic Day Camp.
He had to endure 140 days of camps and endless training before he finally earned himself and his group the opportunity to not only take part in the prestigious Republic Day Camp, but to also perform in the Prime Minister’s Rally.
We catch up with young cadet Allan Methanael, whose song earned the group a silver medal at the camp. He shares with us his journey to Delhi and the many experiences he had…
He went to four camps across the state - Palladam, Gobichettipalayam, Udumalpet and Madurai, before qualifying to represent Coimbatore in the inter-group competition. He then had to take part in four other camps before he was selected to take part in the RDC (Republic Day camp).
Then, there was a Pre-RDC at Madurai, a cultural camp at Kancheepuram, Launch 1 and Launch 2 camps at Avadi that lasted for 10 days, before he was finally selected along with a group to represent the Air Wing of the defense. On 20 December 2011, the group set off to Delhi to take part in the RDC. And there, they were selected take part in the PM’s rally.
He reminisces about the PM’s rally. “We were really thrilled when we found out that our group was going to perform at the prime minister’s rally. We practiced day in and out - it made me feel very proud to be performing at the rally.
I was playing the keyboard. We were in Delhi until January 30 and came back to Chennai on 2 February to attend the CM’s rally. Then, there was the governor’s felicitation in Chennai and Puducherry, until I finally came back to Coimbatore on February 6 - a total of almost 140 days of camps,” he exclaims.
If you are wondering how he managed his studies, Allan says that he could do it only because of the help from his teachers. “Since I missed out on so many classes, the teachers came forward to help. They have really encouraged my efforts.”
“I made a lot of friends at these camps and I keep in touch with them.” However, it wasn’t just about making friends. It was about competition too. “It was a little difficult but we outperformed them as a team,” says Allan. The stay in Delhi was quite exciting.
“While in Delhi, we visited India Gate, Qutub Minar, the Lotus Temple, Indra Gandhi’s house, and we spent an entire day in Agra. We also visited the Air Chief’s house in Delhi, and the Chief of Naval Staff.”
