Mamata lauds Birbhum boy for topping NDA exam

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday congratulated Birbhum boy, Imon Ghosh, a class XII student of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) based in Dehradun, for becoming a topper in the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy Examination (II).

Imon has scored 1084 out of 1800, according to the results announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on its website on April 12.

Banerjee wrote on her X handle: “Glad and proud to know that our Birbhum boy Imon Ghosh has topped the National Defence Academy (II) examination 2024 conducted by UPSC. The results have been just published and this young adolescent son of a retired Havildar of the Indian Army, staying at Bolpur, has brought this achievement for all of us. No one topped the list from West Bengal in the recent past, and by this feat, he became a role model for all the UPSC examinees and aspirants in our State, many of whom are receiving steady support from us from the State-run centres.”

Imon‘s inspiration has been his father, Ujjal Kumar Ghosh who was a havildar in the Indian Army. Fascinated by fighter jets since childhood, Imon wants to join the Indian Air Force as a flying officer.

“I expected good results, having performed well in the examination but did not expect this rank. I have no words to describe my feelings,” he said.

Born in Suri, Imon had to move from one military base to another, multiple times, due to his father’s transferable job. Before enrolling at RIMC in class VIII, he attended the Sainik School in Haryana’s Kunjpura. He started preparing for the NDA exam from class XI, focusing on subjects such as English, Mathematics, General Knowledge and Science.

He was mentored by Colonel Rahul Agarwal, a Commandant at RIMC. He is a good debater, has a flair for art and loves to play all kinds of sports. In his leisure, he prefers playing his guitar. Imon will join the NDA in July.