Poignant moments amid joy as cadets turn officers

CHENNAI: There were some poignant moments at the Officer Training Academy (OTA) grounds on Saturday morning amid scenes of joy during the passing out parade.
One cadet broke down on hearing about the demise of his father, while the death of an OTA alumnus during an anti-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir in August was recollected with sadness.
Varun Duggal had finished 49 weeks of training and was among those passing out.After the parade, he rushed to the piping ceremony, hoping to become an officer with his parents removing the flap concealing the stars on the uniform. However, at the place where his father was supposed to be present, he saw his grandparents.
They told him his father was in hospital. But Varun sensed something amiss and was told that his father had passed away. He broke down and clutching his grandfather’s legs he pleaded amidst sobs to be allowed to see his father’s body. Senior officers consoled him and sent him with his grandparents.
There was more gloom when the death of Navdeep Singh, killed on August 20 while fighting terrorists, was recollected. The operation took place in the Gurez sector of North Kashmir. “He was an excellent officer,” said some of the officers in the academy.
Soon, the air rang with the cheers of parents and cadets who after the piping ceremony stood with stars shining on their shoulders. One happy group was that of Gavele Lalji, who became the third army officer in the family.
Her grandfather Major General Lalji D Singh retired 15 years ago after serving the corps of engineers in the Bombay Sappers, and now works in a school in Dehra Dun. His son Colonel S S Lalji serves in the 411 para. Gavele Lalji, the eldest in the family, is a physics graduate who said it was a natural decision to choose to join the defence services. But her younger sister Chitwan Lalji, who is doing her masters in economics in Chandigarh, has other professional aspirations.
A total of 370 cadets, including 105 women and 18 Afghan cadets, became officers. General officer commanding-in-chief Lieutenant General V K Ahluwalia reviewed the parade commanded by Academy Under Officer Abhinav Shukla.
Addressing reporters later, Ahulwalia said that the present attempts by terrorists to infiltrate the country were common during this time of the year.