Meet Afrid Afroz, the Patiala boy who won the President’s Gold Medal in NDA

New Delhi: Afrid Afroz, a 21-year-old boy, born and brought up in Patiala, Punjab, emerged as the topper of the 144th batch of cadets who passed out from the National Defense Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Pune recently. The Patiala boy was awarded a gold medal for being the best overall cadet and declared as the best cadet of the Air Force.

family background

Afrid Afroz is the son of Professor Dr. Mohammad Habib, former Head of Department of Religious Studies at Punjabi University. Professor Habib is currently posted at Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. The family of Afrid Afroz is originally from Gurgaon, Haryana. Prior to his appointment at Panjab University, Patiala, Professor Habib previously served at the Haryana Udru Academy, Chandigarh.

elementary schooling

Afroz did his early schooling from St. Mary’s School, Sanour, Patiala. When he was in class 7, he shifted to Army Public School, Patiala. It was during this time that he got the idea of ​​joining the armed forces to serve his motherland. His admission to the Army Public School in Patiala proved to be a turning point in his life. After staying here for a year, Afroz came to know about Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun and was determined to join the prestigious preparatory school for NDA.

Through his hard work and determination, Afroz managed to crack the extremely tough RIMC entrance and studied till class 12. For those unaware, RIMC is a premier institute in Dehradun which prepares boys to join NDA. The selection in RIMC is very tough and is done on the basis of All India Examination. A maximum of two cadets can be selected from a State. There is only one vacancy in Punjab. Big states like UP, MP and Bihar have two seats.

Breaking NDA

After passing his Class 12 exam, Afroz cracked the prestigious NDA entrance and entered the academy in 2020 during the pandemic to fulfill his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. In NDA, he opted to become an Air Force Cadet. Afroz was an accomplished polo player and passed out with Half-Blue in horse riding. He was part of the NDA team that participated in the Junior National Equestrian Championship and the Army Equestrian Championship. He was also awarded the Half-Blue in Pt.

Afroz’s father Professor Dr. Mohammad Habib, mother Zubaida and elder brother Aman attended the passing out parade. However, his eldest brother Inam, who works as a manager at Trident, Patiala, could not attend.

big moment for afroz

A grand moment for Afroz’s family came when his name was announced by the Commandant, National Defense Academy in Pune, for the prestigious President’s Gold Medal for the best overall cadet in academics and sports of the 144th course graduating in June 2023. Were.

After the passing out parade, Chief Guest Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan congratulated Afroz Afroz for his achievements and wished him a successful career ahead.

Proud of his son’s achievements, a elated Professor Mohammad Habib said, “He is going to serve our country and there is no honor bigger or bigger than that.” Interestingly, Professor Habib’s brother has recently retired from the army and his nephew is posted in Kashmir.

Afroz, who is now spending time with his family during his three-week vacation, intends to visit two schools in Patiala and RIMC, Dehradun to thank them for their love and care and instill in them the nation So that the seeds of serving can be produced.