Farewell by Batch 48

Dear SJI NPCC,

On 9th April, Batch 48 stepped down from their leadership positions. As the parade ended, berets can be seen tossed up by the Year 4s, signifying the end of our CLship. It was a moment filled with overwhelming emotions as it was the end of our 4 year journey in NPCC. It almost felt like we just joined the unit as Sec 1s yesterday and, in a blink of an eye, my batch stepped up to carry on the legacies of our predecessors. However, all good things come to an end and with a heavy heart, I must acknowledge that our time to hand over the responsibility of the unit has come. Through this final post, I wish to make my final message of gratitude to SJI NPCC.

Batch 48. A batch that I would dare say is the greatest product of SJI NPCC. Never did we imagine ourselves here back when we were still cadets. We thought that when we step up, we will never meet the expectations of our unit. However, we were able to prove ourselves wrong. We managed to grow from a bunch of random cadets trying to get through CCA to a batch of fine cadet leaders. Through the endless trainings, LMSC, IUDC and CCC sessions, our hard skills improved exponentially. By going through these hardships, we were able to build stronger bonds. From acquaintances we became comrades. Comrades ready to step up. Just when everything seemed so bright, the Covid-19 pandemic hit and CCA was forced into a temporary stand-down. We were denied the privilege of a COC or an AP to officially step up. Despite being forced to bite the dust, we were determined not to. We mustered up everything that we had to start CCA online. None of us knew how online CCA worked as none of the past batches had done it before. It was a completely new concept and we had nothing to start off from. However, we decided to take the risk, adapt to the situation and make the shift online. Our efforts did not go in vain as online CCA was a huge success as we were still able to make all the cadets follow their original training schedules. As the situation improved, we decided to restart physical trainings. None of us knew how trainings would work as everything was conducted online, a completely different environment. Yet we managed to pull through and make it work. We were able to not only organise normal physical trainings but also 2 camps, LMSC 2021 and UTC 2021, which were not easy feats given the ongoing world climate. We were able to revamp the camp plans from the past years while still capturing the main elements of these camps such that our unit may not lose out on these valuable experiences. If I was told about all these achievements my squad will achieve back when I was in Year 2, I would never have believed it. However, we truly exceeded expectations and pulled off our CLship together as one united Batch 48. I would like to thank each and everyone one of you for the efforts you put in to make our events a success. As we now step down, let us take a moment to look back to the memories and bonds we have forged and cherish them as we prepare for our academic assignments.

SJI NPCC. The unit we led for the past year. Batch 49, 50 and 51, the 3 batches that we had the opportunity to lead and teach. Thank you for your cooperation and efforts that you have put in trainings thus far. We have seen all of you grow together ever since we stepped up till now. Continue growing together and from closer bonds with your squadmates. Trust me when I say this but it would take only a blink of an eye before you step up and another blink of an eye before you step down. Cherish all the memories and experiences you have in NPCC and create new ones together with your squadmates. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Teacher Officers for their continuous support. Thank you for continuously believing and supporting us, even in our darkest and most challenging times. I would also like to thank our squads' mentors, Brandon Cheah, Michael, Nethren, Sunith and Jeffrey for guiding us through our CLship. The learning points we learnt proved to be essential in our CLship. Lastly, on behalf of my squad, I would like to give a special mention to Jaren. Jaren was an ex-NPCC cadet from Batch 44. He met us back when we were Sec 1s as a mentor to the CLs back then. He has been mentoring us ever since. Even though he stepped down 2017, he still attended UTC 2021 to support my squad. Hence, on behalf of Batch 48, "Thank you for having trust and faith in us always".

When I joined SJI NPCC, I never had the intention to take up the mantle of Unit Chairman. I didn't even know that I had it in me to be one. I would like to thank everyone in our unit for having me as your UC. Thank you for trusting that the decisions I make won't go wrong. Thank you for listening to my instructions and suggestions that I have given so far. Thank you for having faith that I will pull us through no matter how bad the odds had gone against us. Thank you for always believing in me and giving me the privilege to be the UC which I will never forget.

This will be the last post made by me. Good luck to Batch 49 and future batches for their CLship ahead. Good luck to all cadets in their journey in NPCC. Trust me, your journey will be worth it. My batch has set very high standards for all of you. However, we have faith that you will exceed us and bring the unit to greater heights. 

Yours Sincerely,

Signing off on behalf of Batch 48,

SI (NPCC) Tanishq Gunasekaran

SJI NPCC Unit Chairman