Pune: The prestigious National Defence Academy on Friday witnessed history as the first batch of 17 female cadets marched alongside more than 300 male counterparts towards the ‘Antim Pag’ in a spectacular display of integration.
A flypast by three majestic Su-30 aircraft was a fitting accompaniment to the occasion as the cadets of the tri-services training academy’s first co-ed batch went past the ‘Antim Pag’ at the Khetrapal Parade Ground on their way to bring more laurels to an institution widely hailed as the “cradle of leadership”.
The first batch of women cadets joined the NDA’s 148th course in 2022 after the Union Public Service Commission allowed women to apply to the defence academy following a Supreme Court direction in 2021.
“Every moment, every difficulty we went through, each emotion in all these three years we spent at the academy is worth it,” said Divisional Cadet Captain Harsimran Kaur, whose parents were beaming with joy and pride at their daughter’s feat.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions as the parade moved towards the ‘Antim Pag’ as all the memories from the past three years got vivid, said Battalion Cadet Captain Shriti Daksh, adding that she was now fully ready to make her mark at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun.
Shital, another cadet who was flanked by her proud parents, said, “It is a great feeling. There are more emotions and less words. As we approached the Antim Pag, the feeling was that yes we have done it.”
The NDA had changed her “180 degrees” and had made her mentally and physically strong, said Shital, who will be joining the IMA.
Her father Ashok Mahalen said all the 17 female cadets are “not just our daughters but the daughters of the entire nation”.
Cadet Shristi Singh, while thanking her instructors and Squadron Commander of India Squadron, remarked that the legendary saying associated with the academy of “jitna ragda, utna tagda” (the more gruelling the training, the stronger the cadet) is absolutely true.
Singh, who is the first female cadet to pass out from India Squadron, aspires to join the Indian Naval Academy.
Gen V K Singh (retired), former Army Chief and current governor of Mizoram, who was the reviewing officer of the Passing Out Parade, called it a uniquely significant day in the history of the academy.