**Bhubaneswar:** Young Odia Lieutenant, Chandrakant Acharya who bagged the prestigious ‘Sword of Honour’ for the autumn term of the Indian Military Academy was accorded a hero’s welcome at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here on Tuesday.
Chandrakant returned home after successful completion of his course at the IMA. He was received at the BPIA by relatives, friends, patriots and well wishers.
The ‘welcome brigade’ was joined by Indian Ex-Services League, Odisha and Airforce Association, Odisha Branch. The young officer was the best performing cadet at the IMA during 2017, for which he was awarded the academy’s gold medal.
Speaking to mediapersons at the BPIA Chandrakant said, “We have undergone rigorous training to face real-life challenges. I will strive hard to utilise my training effectively to serve the Indian Army.”
He added that his posting and regiment allocation has been done. Chandrakant came home for the first time after completion of his training. He will be reporting on duty soon after completion of the vacation.
“A gold medal was never a target. We wanted our son to serve valiantly for the defence forces. However, now that he has exceeded the expectations, the real work and challenge will begin,” Chandrakant’s father, AK Acharya said.
