248 cadets come out in flying colours at OTA

CHENNAI: Lt Rajalakshmi was busy running around on Saturday, looking for her parents. It was time for the pipping ceremony, where 284 cadets, men and women, of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) would officially become members of the armed forces.Hailing from Tuticorin, Lt Rajalakshmi, an MBA graduate, is one of the five cadets from Tamil Nadu to pass out of the OTA this term. “I came fifth in the UPSC exam in nationwide rankings. Today, I am a graduate of the OTA, posted in a place near West Bengal,” she said with a smile. Rajalakshmi is justified in being proud, she and other cadets have passed 49 gruelling weeks of training to achieve their goal.In a splendid ceremonial parade reviewed by General Batoo Tshering, Chief Operations Officer (equivalent to the Indian Chief of Army Staff) of the Royal Army of Bhutan, the cadets were transformed into officers.Of these, 89 are woman cadets and 27 of the total number are from the southern states. In addition, 15 cadets from Afghanistan and one cadet from the South African Kingdom of Lesotho also finished the training. General Tshering said, “After seeing the level of training at the OTA, I am tempted to implement similar methods back in Bhutan.” Commandant of the OTA, Lt Gen SS Jog (SM, VSM) said, “In our Golden Jubilee year, we are proud to see our cadets achieve what was slated for them in a fantastic way.”