Head held high, 151 officers march out of OTA

TNN / Mar 22, 2009, 02:12 IST

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It was a red-letter day for 151 cadets of the Officers' Training Academy as their passing out parade was reviewed by the supreme commander of the Indian army, President Prathiba Patil on Saturday.

Head held high, 151 officers march out of OTA

CHENNAI: It was a red-letter day for 151 cadets of the Officers' Training Academy as their passing out parade was reviewed by the supreme commander of the Indian army, President Prathiba Patil on Saturday.
At 7 am, the bugle resonated on the OTA campus and the Parameshwaran Gate, through which more than 10,000 cadets have passed through, creaked open.Clad in olive green uniform, the 40 lady and 111 gentlemen cadets marched to the parade ground in unison, commanded by academy under officer Prashant Pillai.
Even after the sun had climbed the sky, the cadets stood like statues awaiting the President, their faces glowing with anticipation of the moment when they would be commissioned as officers of the Indian Army.
The President arrived around 7.30 am and after taking the salute from the cadets she got on board a jeep and reviewed the parade. Addressing the cadets, she exhorted them to incorporate modern warfare to eradicate terrorism.

"The modern army is a knowledge-based force and application of science and information technology has become an integral part of warfare. Every soldier should be technology efficient," she said. She also honoured Prashant Pillai with the sword of honour.
Later, fora helicopter showered petals on the cadets as they marched out through the Vijay Path' to the tunes of Auld lang syne.' A few minutes later, the piping ceremony was held.
Speaking to reporters, Prashant Pillai said he was serving in the Indian Air Force and took up the OTA course out of special interest. Cadets from Jamaica, Sychelles and Afghanistan who underwent training were among those who passed out on Saturday.

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