KU, MGU VCs to help popularise NCC as colonels

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If the Territorial Army pitched for film stars and ace cricketers, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) is taking a more ‘academic’ path to popularity. Two university vice-chancellors from the state are to be conferred honorary colonel ranks in the NCC as part of encouraging youngsters to sign up. Kerala University Vice-Chancellor A Jayakrishnan and Mahatma Gandhi University Vice-Chancellor Rajan Gurukkal will soon be made honorary colonels in the NCC, top NCC officials in the state said.  ‘’The initiative is part of popularising the NCC. As VCs, they are serving the NCC in various capacities on advisory boards and such,’’ Deputy Director General of NCC Kerala and Lakshadweep Directorate, HQ Thiruvananthapuram Brigadier Sandeep Kumar said. The ranks will be conferred at a function here on December 29, he said.   Rajan Gurukkal, who took over as MG University VC in 2008, is better known as a historian and academician. ‘’During my younger days, I was also an avid NCC cadet. I held a ‘B’ Certificate,’’ he said.   ‘’I’d always been attracted by the uniform, but couldn’t join the armed forces,’’ said A Jayakrishnan, a former professor of biotechnology at the IIT-Madras, who was appointed Kerala University VC in 2008. But as a school student, he too served as NCC cadet for two years.   Earlier too, the NCC has conferred honorary army ranks on university VCs in the state. And last July, the NCC conferred the rank of Colonel Commandant upon Mangalore University Vice-Chancellor T C Shivasankara Murthy.  Conferring of honorary army ranks had grabbed headlines after actor Mohan Lal, and cricketers Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni and ace shooter Abhinav Bhindra were made honorary lieutenant colonels by the Territorial Army.