Widow fulfils sepoy's dream, to serve Indian Army as officer

CHENNAI: Just a month after her wedding, Soni Bisht lost her husband, Sepoy Neeraj Singh Bhandari of 18 Kumaon Regiment, in an accident in Jan 2023. Instead of succumbing to grief, she chose to turn pain into purpose, honouring her late husband's dream by donning the Indian Army uniform as an officer.

On Saturday, at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, she marched forward in the Passing Out Parade as a warrior ready to serve.

"When I learnt about the Veer Nari entry from officers of Kumaon Regiment, my father encouraged me to take this path," said Soni, daughter of retired subedar Kundan Singh of Brigade of Guards Battalion. "It was an uphill battle, but I conquered every challenge," she said, beaming with pride after being commissioned into the Army Ordnance Corps.

Among the newly commissioned officers was another cadet, Ved Vijay Neog from Jorhat, Assam, who earned his Indian Army commission after years of struggle. Recommended initially for the Indian Military Academy after graduation, Ved withdrew due to family hardships.

In Delhi, he juggled jobs, making coffee by day and delivering food by night to survive. He later found work as a travel photographer with major brands, but his heart remained set on the uniform. Determined, he cleared the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam and secured his place at the OTA.

These two cadets were among the 133 officer cadets and 24 women officer cadets commissioned into various arms and services of the Indian Army. Additionally, five foreign officer cadets and seven women foreign officer cadets from five foreign nations completed their training.

The reviewing officer, Lt Gen Johnson P Mathew, chief of Integrated Defence Staff, presented the Sword of Honour to Manya M Kumar, the OTA gold medal to Pragati Thakur, the silver medal to Manya M Kumar, and the bronze medal to Surjeet Yadav. In his address, he urged the young officers to uphold the ethos of selfless service and unwavering excellence in all they do.