Anantnag girl qualifies NDA prelims, sets eyes on naval academy

Anantnag, Sept 28: Shah Arifeenul Irfan, a girl from Kathsu village of Pahalgam tehsil in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, has qualified for the National Defence Academy (NDA) written examination.
She is the first girl from this southern region to tread on a path leading to the Naval Academy.
Talking to Rising Kashmir Shah Arifeenul Irfan said that she had chosen medical subjects with intentions to become a doctor.
However, when she was preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ( NEET), a prerequisite for getting admission into medical colleges across the country, at a coaching centre in Srinagar she changed her mind.
“ A former Naval Officer suggested that I go for NDA,” she said, adding that she searched the internet and collected all the information about the National Defence Academy ( NDA).
It is a prerequisite for NDA examination aspirants to have Mathematics, Physics and chemistry as their subjects at 11th and 12th.
“I opted for mathematics in 12th class and simultaneously passed mathematics for 11th class as a private student,” she said.
Arifeenul said that she chose NDA by her own mind and heart.
“I did a lot of hard and smart work and covered the complete syllabus in two and half months,” she said, adding that she worked with full determination.
She said that the NDA syllabus is lengthy and covering it in a short period of time is challenging.
She narrated that she took the challenge with self-study.
“An online tutorial proved very fruitful for my preparations,” she said, adding that a person must have determination to chase his or her dreams.
“ I was sure that I would pass the written examination and when the results came in it turned out to be true,” she said, adding that she rushed to her mother to break the good news.
The girl is now focusing on interviews which are scheduled to be held after sometime.
Arifeenul Irfan’s father, Irfan Ahmad Shah, said that his daughter wishes to join the Navy.
Irfan, who drives a vehicle to earn a living for his family, said that he encouraged and supported his daughter to chase her dream.