SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
PANJIM: At 23, Ratika Vasu Naik from Shiroda, is going places, literally.
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Naik, a Biotech graduate with nearly 80% marks, currently works as a Girl Cadet Instructor in the 1 Goa Battalion NCC Panjim. She is an ex-NCC Junior Under Officer (JUO), secured ‘A’ grade in the NCC ‘C’ certificate exam. She has won awards at Ghumat Arti competitions during Ganesh festival.
She has won medals and trophies at various sporting disciplines like baseball, swimming, tennis ball cricket and due ball at national and State-level competitions.
Naik is also an avid solo traveller. She has already visited 10 different religious sites across India in last one year, starting from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu.
When asked about her exhaustive list of achievements, Naik said, “I am happy to have brought laurels for my State. I credit my parents, especially my father, my coaches, friends and NCC instructors for shaping my life.”
No success is achieved without hardwork. Naik’s story is no different.
“I used to wake up at 5 am every day and cycle 5 km from my home to the Ponda Sports Complex. People would discourage my father from allowing me to pursue sports saying no one would marry me. But he never paid attention to them; rather, he encouraged me with greater vigour,” she said.
After finishing school, Naik enrolled in BSc Biotechnology at Pavitribai Chowgule College, Margao because inspired by her elder brother, she too wanted to become a National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadet.
She travelled to Margao from Shiroda for three years to pursue both – her degree course and NCC training – since it was the only college that provided both.
Here also she tasted success. With her perseverance, she went on to earn the rank of Junior Under Officer (JUO) and cleared her NCC ‘C certificate’ exam with an ‘A’ grade, beating her male compatriots hands down.
Emphasising on the importance of time management, Naik said that she meticulously plans her daily schedule. “My day starts at 5 am daily with sports practice and ends at 10 pm. I am also preparing for the civil services examination,” she said.
She urged the young girls to have a dream and work hard towards achieving it.
“Play at least one sport as it makes you physically fit and humble. Join the NCC as it instills discipline and self-confidence inside you,” Naik said.
Sharing an incident, she said that while travelling outside Goa once, a group of men tried to physically assault her. But she successfully repulsed them, thanks to her self-defence training at NCC.
“I protected myself and did not panic because NCC training made me physically and mentally strong,” she said.
Lauding Naik, her former Commanding Officer at 1 Goa Battalion NCC Panjim, Colonel Jesus Furtado (retd) said she is a very hard working person.
“She has always taken her responsibilities very seriously and is a multi-faceted person. She has made all of us proud. She is an inspiration for all young girls,” Col Furtado said.
