Most college summers in Jammu are spent chasing internships, results or a bit of rest. Senior Under Officer (SUO) Kartik of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) spent his learning to move across a glacier. The cadet has successfully completed the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Siachen Base Camp Trekking Expedition — one of the toughest and most prestigious adventure activities the NCC runs anywhere in the country.
It was not a sightseeing walk. Over the course of the expedition, Kartik trained in rock craft and ice craft — climbing, rappelling, knot-making, rope management, glacier movement, self-arrest techniques and mountain survival — the exact skills that keep people alive at high altitude. Along the way, the route took in the Siachen War Memorial, the Hall of Fame, Shanti Stupa and the historic monasteries of Hemis, Thiksey and Diskit.
For Kartik, the emotional high point was clear. The visit to the Siachen War Memorial, he said, inspired him with the courage and sacrifice of Indian Army personnel who guard the world's highest battlefield. Back on campus, SMVDU Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr) Pragati Kumar and Registrar Ajay Kumar Sharma congratulated the cadet and praised the university's NCC unit for fostering “discipline, leadership and patriotism.”
Why this is more than one cadet's achievement
Behind the headline is a message a lot of Jammu students overlook: the NCC is one of the most accessible adventure-and-leadership platforms available to young people in the region, and it costs almost nothing to join. Expeditions like Kartik's are open to ordinary college cadets — not a special elite — who put in the training and the hours. The difference between watching such a trip on Instagram and being on it usually comes down to signing up early and staying committed.
What the NCC actually offers a Jammu student
Adventure you can't buy cheaply. Trekking, mountaineering, rock climbing, para-sailing and camps — the kind of high-altitude experience that would cost a fortune privately — come through NCC training and expeditions, largely subsidised.
A certificate that opens doors. The NCC 'C' certificate carries real weight: bonus marks and reserved vacancies in many government and paramilitary recruitments, and a recognised edge for those aiming at a career in the armed forces through the dedicated NCC entry.
Leadership on your CV. Rising to a rank like SUO means leading juniors, organising camps and taking responsibility — exactly the soft skills employers and interview panels look for and that classroom marks can never show.
A network and a discipline habit. Early mornings, drill and teamwork build routines that quietly carry over into exams, jobs and life.
How to get in on it
Jammu's colleges and universities — SMVDU, the University of Jammu, Cluster University and many affiliated colleges — run active NCC units. Joining usually means enrolling through your institution's NCC office at the start of the academic year and clearing a basic selection and fitness process. From there, the cadets who volunteer for camps and keep their training up are the ones who get picked for the marquee expeditions. For a student wondering how to stand out beyond marks, it is one of the highest-return decisions available in the city.
Part of a wider adventure culture
Kartik's trek also fits a bigger, welcome trend: young people from Jammu increasingly stepping outdoors and testing themselves. Between NCC expeditions, mountaineering courses run by national institutes, cycling and trekking clubs, and the region's own hills on the doorstep, the opportunities for adventure are richer than most students realise. The Jammu region sits at the gateway to some of the country's most dramatic terrain, and programmes like the NCC's give students a safe, trained, and affordable way to experience it — with qualified instructors, proper equipment and a structure that turns a risky idea into a genuine achievement. Beyond the medals and certificates, what these experiences build is confidence: the quiet knowledge that you have done something hard and come through it. That is a mindset that serves a young person well long after the boots are back in the cupboard — in an exam hall, a job interview, or the first hard week of a new career. What looks like luck from the outside is almost always the result of a cadet quietly showing up to the drills and camps that their classmates skipped.
The takeaway
Kartik's glacier expedition is a proud moment for SMVDU and for Jammu. But its real value is as a signpost. It shows that a young person from a Jammu campus can end up standing at the foot of the Siachen glacier, tested and transformed — and that the path to get there is open to far more students than currently take it. The next cadet to make that climb could be reading this.
Source: Daily Excelsior — SMVDU NCC cadet Kartik completes Siachen Base Camp trek.
