Cdt Sonal Jessica Crasta (NCC Airwing) from II BSc, St Agnes College (Autonomous), was one among the 60 cadets who were selected from all 17 directorates to attend the Para Basic Course Training which was conducted by the Army Airborne Training School, Agra, under the guidance of instructors from the Indian Akash Ganga team from 4 November to 25 November 2025. Cdt Sonal represented the Karnataka & Goa Directorate, sharing training grounds with elite forces like MARCOS, NSG, and Garud Commandos made her experiences even more inspiring and gave her a deeper insight into defence life. She underwent 12 days of rigorous ground training, which prepared her for the fan test conducted on the 12th day. After successfully completing the ground phase, they proceeded to the final and most anticipated part of the course, jumping from a height of 1,250 feet from an AN-32 aircraft. The NCC Para Basic Course was a prestigious opportunity that gave a first look into the world of para training, which was an unforgettable and truly transformative experience to the cadet.
Cdt Sonal Jessica Crasta was felicitated for her achievements on International Volunteers Day (IVD) 5 December 2025 by U T Khader, speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Sr Dr M Venissa AC, Principal of St Agnes College (Autonomous), Ivan D’Souza, MLC, Government of Karnataka, Christian Hainzl, Regional manager – Asia & the Pacific, UNV, Bangkok, Meenakshi Arya, IAS, Assistant commissioner of Mangaluru, and Raghuveer Souterpete, operations and programme head Yuvanika Foundation. The ANOs of NCC Airwing F/O Dr Hithakshi B and NCC Armywing Lt Gayathri BK were also present.
