OTA Chennai Passing Out Parade(POP) March 2015
SSC-99 and SSC(W)-13
 |
| GC to Lieutenant |
Women cadets stole the show
at the passing out parade at the Officers Training Academy for the SSC-99 and SSC(W)-13 course on Saturday, as 140 GC's and 39 LC's from around the country turned military officers
after 11 months of training.
The 'Sword of Honour' was awarded to M Anjana from Ernakulam only the second lady officer in the Army to have won the prestigious ‘Sword of Honour’
who also bagged the ''Gold Medal'' for standing first in the overall
order of merit. While the "Bronze Medal" went to Madhavi Rai.Anjana, 25, worked
at a law firm after studying at the Government Law College in Mumbai. A trained
Bharatnatyam dancer, she also holds a master's degree in fine arts.
Another cadet from Meerut, Mukesh Kumar, who has
been posted in the artillery unit at Kargil has a background in English
Literature and loves the poetry of Mirza Ghalib. Kumar said, "From poetry
and prose my life is now all about guns and cannons. I still cherish my love
for poetry but my commitment is to the Army."
Lieutenant General Sanjeev Madhok, General Officer, Commanding in Chief, Army Training Command; who reviewed the parade said the Army is in the midst of transformation and needs agile, adaptive leaders with a broad perspective and range of skills.He inspected the Guard of Honour.After the parade the cadets marched out
from the hallowed precincts of the Parameshwaran Drill Square to the tune of
'Auld Lang Syne' (long, long ago).
"Land, sea or air - I will go wherever
ordered" - the young cadets took oath after the piping ceremony that saw
their shoulder grow heavier by two stars that denote they are lieutenants now.
Parents of the cadets turning officers watched with teary eyes and beaming
pride, as their children were inducted into the Army.
The officers will be posted at various army
bases across the country where they will command troops of soldiers starting
April 6.
Six cadets were from friendly foreign countries
including Seychelles, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
The
newly commissioned Lieutenants would be awarded Post Graduate Diploma
in Defence Management and Strategic Studies by University of Madras.
Different Banners were given as follows to the companies:
- Chief Of Army Staff Banner – Naushera Company
- ARTRAC Banner – Kohima Company
- Commandant’s Banner – Meiktila Company
What goes into the making of an officer in the Indian Army?
by Deepa Alaxander(The Hindu)14/03/15
It’s a
golden afternoon at the Kulattur Reserve Forest on the fringes of Chennai. The
searing sun casts a surreal glow on the clearing in the middle of nowhere.
Assembled in camouflage uniforms are over 200 Gentleman Cadets (GC) and Lady
Cadets (LC), their faces tired, limbs brown, bodies erect, despite the 17-kg
backpack that holds battle gear and a five-kg rifle, and spirits upbeat. Maps
are consulted, compasses aligned, and with deafening shouts of “Fighter!
Fighter! Phillora”, the first of the seven companies that cadets are inducted
into on joining the Officers Training Academy (OTA), begins its 40-km run
through scrub jungle.
The
navigational endurance exercise is the last of a four-day camp designed to
never allow cadets more than a few minutes rest in bivouacs. “It is also the
final leg of a training ritual that tests more than just fitness. The emphasis
is on camaraderie and character — qualities that drive you to keep going when
every instinct is to give up,” says Col. Renjy George, head of the training
team, who oversees the action with his keen-eyed commanders.
Each
company, named after a battle the Army has fought, has to carry out a timed run
through the jungle, aided by a compass, map and radio set, and touch base with
six checkpoints that offer just oral rehydration salts and a quick change of
socks. But as the evening wears on and darkness and exhaustion set in, there
are other dangers to contend with, such as snakes, blind wells and misread
contours. When the race reaches the final leg, in the wee hours of the morning,
the yells of encouragement and rasping groans rise to a crescendo. There is
enthusiastic cheering among the winners; the losing company collapses
dejectedly. A GC limps back, his buddy resolutely jogging under the combined
weight of both their backpacks; an LC holds up her bleeding arm.
For over
52 years now, OTA has been one of Chennai’s best-kept secrets. Established in
1963 to train officers for Emergency Commission in the Army, it now trains
those between 22 and 25 years for the Short Service Commission. It is also the
only Academy, among the country’s four Army training establishments, which
commissions women to be officers.
Standing
at the bend of GST Road, at the foot of St. Thomas Mount, OTA marks its place
in our city’s conscience perhaps twice a year, when the Passing-Out Parade is
held or when one of its alumni, such as the late Maj. Mukund Varadarajan AC, is
recognised for valour beyond the call of duty. Otherwise, the sagas
of extraordinary resilience and unflagging energy that are written here in
the 49 weeks it takes to earn a Lieutenant’s stars rarely filter through.
As the car
wheezes its way up the metalled road to ‘Punishment Hill’, I see cadets run
cross-country through the red mud path that spirals to the peak on the other
side. Below lies the 750-acre Academy, its broad tree-lined avenues — filled
with cadets cycling or walking in threes — branching off from the Ram Singh
Dwar, named after its first Commandant, Brig. Ram Singh. The history of the
Madras Presidency army echoes through the colonnaded verandahs of the White
House, built in 1861, which serves as the headquarters and office of the
Commandant, and Flag Staff House (1928), the residence of the Commandant, at
present Lt. Gen. Ravindra Pratap Sahi AVSM.
The
company barracks stand at the foot of the hill. Cadets reside in individual
rooms and are subject to surprise kit inspections, but living in the barracks
also fosters esprit-de-corps. Maj. Vineeth, a platoon commander in charge of
training, says, “There are 70-80 cadets and four-five officers per company. Six
foreign cadets are being commissioned this time. Each officer is closely
involved with the cadets under him, from the time he or she wakes up to the
time it’s lights out. Transforming a person from civvy street to being fighting
fit, and pushing him to excel physically in Chennai’s sapping humidity is
challenging. By the end of two terms, all cadets are on a par and the Army’s
honour code is ingrained in them. Once in uniform, their economic, social and
cultural barriers melt away.”
Across the
road stands the grand Adyar Officers’ Mess built in 1815, at the end of the
Napoleonic Wars. And everything on campus — the crest that hangs in the drill
square, the cadets’ ties and the crockery — bears the colours of the Academy,
steel grey and blood red. On it are emblazoned two cross-swords and Ashoka’s
dharma chakra with the motto ‘Serve With Honour’.
Further
afield lie the PT grounds, the drill square, the classrooms, the firing range
and the games fields where another motto reigns — he who sweats, wins. A
schedule of unmatched rigour begins with hooters blaring at the crack of dawn.
Cadets line up in white T-shirts and shorts and, from a distance, it is
difficult to tell a GC from an LC as all of them sport the ‘zero cut’ — a
little more than an inch of hair on their heads. As the cadets shimmy up the
vertical rope, monkey crawl on the horizontal one and perform leaps of faith
across the ditch for the next 45 minutes, they are guided by a team of physical
instructors, headed by the Physical Training Officer, Col. Sanjay. He says,
“Through a scientific process we make cadets physically and mentally tough to
take the stress of battle. They complete the Battle Proficiency and Efficiency
Test and the confidence-building Assault Course. Reaction ability and mental
grit cannot be taught in a gym.”
The drill
instructor is often the cadet’s first window to military life. His no-nonsense
demeanour and pace stick (resembling a divider) that measures length of pace
while marching are enough to shake the lackadaisicalness out of cadets and
mould them into Army shape.
It’s the
day of the inter-company drill competition and the Academy resounds with the
clash of rifle butts and flash of gilt-edged swords in a ceremonial spectacle
of precision marching and parade commanding.
After a
hurried breakfast at the Yoddha Cadets’ Mess where the portraits of Indian
Presidents line the walls, cadets cycle to the Gaur Academic Block or to the
Lecture Demonstration stands, where they study subjects ranging from military
history and martial law to weapon training and science and warfare. When they
graduate, apart from the President’s Commission, cadets also earn a PG Diploma
in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras.
A little
over a year ago, the senior-most cadet, Academy Under Officer Anjana M., a
25-year-old law graduate from Mumbai and a post-graduate in dance, was working
in a glass-and-chrome office. But she swapped her black robes and long hair for
the uniform. “My parents were thrilled. I’m a Judge Advocate-General entrant,
so I will be able to continue a career in law. Having been a Bharatanatyam
dancer for years, a zero cut was something I had to get used to,” she smiles.
“But it makes tremendous sense, especially when you train in summer.”
City boy
and Academy Cadet Adjutant S. Vignesh, an engineer, worked with a power plant
company before signing up. “My family encouraged me. The day I got my zero cut
I was elated — I knew I was on the path to becoming an officer. There is never
a dull moment, as training is so structured and varied, and there are many club
activities.”
On
Sundays, cadets are given ‘liberty’ and issued out-passes. “I go home,” says
Vignesh. “But many prefer to ready their dresses or clean their weapons.”
As
important as the military skills, are the indefinable virtues that go into
making an officer and a gentleman — leadership potential and the courage to
lead in battle. For that, the cadets draw inspiration from the Academy’s
numerous alumni — from Maj. R. Parameshwaran PVC who continues to live on in
the drill square named after him to Lt. N. Parthiban KC after whom the gym is
named.
Their
valour is remembered at the moving memorial service where officers, cadets and
relatives of martyrs lay wreaths. And so, while the Last Post echoes from the
buglers atop P Hill, and silent tears roll down cheeks, cadets pray for the
same fortitude when tested in the “forge of battle”.
This
morning at the Passing-Out Parade, as cadets slow-march towards the Antim Pag
(Final Step), in a shower of rose petals to the tune of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, it
will mark more than a rite of passage from cadet to officer. As their boots
glide in quiet synchrony and the stars ride up their epaulettes, they can look
back with pride at having outlasted the most challenging education money cannot
buy.
Lt. Gen.
R.P. Sahi AVSM, Commandant, OTA, on building warriors for tomorrow’s
battlefields:
Nature of
training: Our aim is to create
proficient leaders, but the methodology and content of training have changed to
keep pace with technology and the way wars are now fought. Many join the
Academy after having pursued a different profession; therefore, they are more
aware and mature. But there is a definitive fall in physical capability, and our
training has been moulded accordingly so that they accomplish the expected
standards in a shorter time-frame.
The Lady
Cadet: Donning the uniform has
been a dream for all of them; many have defied the wishes of their families to
join.
Vacancies
are restricted to approximately 40 LCs and only the cream is chosen.
The
curriculum: It covers every
aspect of soldiering, including battle inoculation, and ensures that cadets are
well acquainted with every kind of terrain and operation they are likely to
encounter.
Choice of
regiment: Cadets fill in three
choices for allotment of arms and services. We endeavour to honour individual
choice — 90 per cent of cadets get their first or second choice — but
organisational interest is primary.
Merit and
parental claim, where any cadet whose father has been the Commanding Officer or
Subedar Major of a unit wishes to join the same, are also considered.
Exchange
programmes: A robust cadet
exchange programme exists with a number of pre-commission training academies in
the U.K., Australia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Singapore.
Access to
public: The Academy accepts
requests for visits by educational institutions and permits students to witness
ceremonial parades.
In the PT
grounds, the drill square, the classrooms, the firing range and the games
fields another motto reigns — he who sweats, wins
Compiled from The Hindu,Business Standard,Times of India ,M News,and Social Media
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