Moment of pride as Vathirairuppu native heads Ladakh Scouts

VIRUDHUNAGAR: For Aravind Bose and Vijayalakshmi, residents of a modest home in Vathirairuppu in Virudhunagar district, it is a moment of pride decades in the making.

Their son, Vijayakumar (40), who studied in local schools and rose through the ranks of the Indian Army, has been appointed Colonel of the prestigious Ladakh Scouts regiment.

Vijayakumar's journey began in Vathirairuppu, where he completed his schooling at Nadar Higher Secondary School and Hindu Higher Secondary School. The son of a cooperative dairy employee and a homemaker, he cleared the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination in 2008 and joined the Army.

Over the next 17 years, he served in several parts of the country, including Ladakh, Hyderabad, Rajasthan and Wellington, steadily rising through the ranks. He later served as a Lieutenant Colonel and was selected for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan in 2018.

His appointment as Colonel of the Ladakh Scouts was formalised at a ceremony in Jaipur, where he took over from outgoing Colonel Ranjan Kumar.

Back home in Vathirairuppu, residents have been celebrating the achievement, describing Vijayakumar's rise as an inspiration for youngsters from rural backgrounds aspiring to serve the nation.

His parents said they were proud that their son had reached one of the Army's senior leadership positions and hoped his journey would encourage more youth from villages to pursue careers in the armed forces.