Himanshu Kumar Lall,Tribune News Service,Dehradun, December 12

As many as 519 gentlemen cadets, including 50 from abroad, passed out from the portals of the Indian Military Academy amid a colourful ceremony here today.Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh, who reviewed the passing out parade, asked the cadets to utilise the lessons of determination and courage learnt at the prestigious institute for the service of their country.The cadets displayed their marching skills to the tunes of ‘Col Bogey’ and ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’ in front of the historic Chetwode Hall. Gen Dalbir Singh said the bond of camaraderie that was established among the cadets during their training would get strengthened in the future. He said the pre-commission training had prepared them to face the toughest of the challenges. He asked them to remain updated on tactics, warfare, arms and equipment.The Army Chief gave away prizes. The coveted Sword of Honour award was bagged by Lalit Thapaliyal for best all-round performance. The Gold Medal went to Abhishek Kumar Singh while Somanagouda Mulimani was awarded the Silver Medal. Among foreign cadets, Nabin Shrestha from Nepal was given the Silver Medal. The Chief of Army Staff Banner was presented to Hajipir Company.Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number of 74 cadets, followed by Haryana with 67 and Bihar, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan with 29 each. Of the cadets, 382 were from 137 Regular Course and 87 from 120 Technical Graduate Course and 50 from five friendly nations: Afghanistan (31), Tajikistan (10), Maldives (6), Nepal (2) and Sri Lanka (1).

210 get commissioned from OTA in Gaya

• Chandigarh: The passing out parade of the eighth batch of trainees of the Officers Training Academy in Gaya was held on Saturday with 210 new officers getting commissioned after completing one-year training
• As many as 144 cadets were from the Technical Entry Course while 66 were Special Commission Officers

Indian Army gets 469 new officers

DEHRADUN: The historic and imposing Chetwode Building of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) was the perfect backdrop to the spellbinding passing out parade of 519 gentlemen cadets of the 137 Regular and 120th Training Graduate (TG) Courses, who were the cynosure of all eyes on Saturday morning. While 469 of the cadets were commissioned in the Indian army, fifty were foreign cadets from countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
Over 2,000 people had gathered at the venue much before the parade began. The last night drizzle had made the air nippy and there was a distinct chill which however slowly dispersed as the sun came out.
For most people though, their eyes were riveted on the majestic Chetwode Building named after Philip Chetwode, commander-in-chief of Indian forces who delivered a stirring address at the inauguration of the academy in 1932, a part of which has now become the IMA credo. Even before the parade started, the audience could hear the loud roar of the cadets, practicing at the far end of the academy.
The parade began soon after the arrival of the reviewing officer, army chief, General Dalbir Singh, who arrived on a four-horse carriage, originally belonging to the Maharaja of Patiala, which was gifted by the erstwhile royal family to the academy.
Speaking on the occasion, Gen Singh, said that he was transported back in time to 42 years ago, when as a gentleman cadet, he had participated in a similar passing out parade while graduating from the academy. “This is a very important day in your lives as you join the Indian Army and take the pledge of serving the country,” the Army chief said, advising the cadets to “lead by example.” He also quoted from the IMA credo to emphasize the responsibility which each officer had: “The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.”
The majestic parade came to an end after each of the cadets had taken the ‘antim pag’, the final step inside the Chetwode Building symbolising their induction as officers in the Indian Army. A highlight of the parade was the fly past of three choppers that dropped flowers on the venue from the air which lent a festive touch to the entire atmosphere.