Jotirmay Thapliyal,Tribune News Service,Dehradun, December 13

Lieut Lalit Thapliyal, who was awarded the coveted Sword of Honour at the passing-out parade of the Indian Military Academy yesterday, was in all probability the first cadet from the Garhwal region to get this highest honour in the 83-year-old glorious history of the academy.  Lalit, who belongs to Adali village, near Kotdwar in Pauri Garhwal district, is a Rimocollion. He had won the overall silver medal in the National Defence Academy (NDA) before joining to the IMA for further training. While boys from the Garhwal region had been coming to the IMA in increasing numbers in the recent times and a few of them had even won gold and silver medals, the coveted Sword of Honour had eluded them. Akshat Joshi from Kumaon was awarded the Sword of Honour in 2013.The Sword of Honour is presented to a cadet who excels in the passing-out course. The best cadet gets this prestigious honour. Lalit has been a keen sportsman, which can be gauged from the fact that shortly after passing out of the IMA, he left to play hockey for an Army team and would return to Dehradun by December end. An avid sportsman, Lalit also loves to play squash and has been part of the IMA squash team. A proud father, DN Thapliyal, is vice principal at Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, and has completed 28 years of service.  “It is a proud moment not only for me but also for the entire Uttarakhand that a local boy has bagged the coveted Sword of Honour,” Thapliyal said while speaking with The Tribune. Asked whether his son was the first Garhwali to win the Sword of Honour, Thapliyal said he had enquired about it and in all probability he indeed was the first. Thapliyal’s daughter Swarnima is a Captain in the Indian Army. Capt Swarnima’s husband Gaurav, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, had bagged the Sword of Honour in 2010.He said it was a matter of honour for him that his children had kept up the glorious tradition of Garhwalis by joining the Army. He admitted that institutions such as the RIMC and also Sainik School play an important role in grooming and encouraging school students to make a career in the Army. Lalit studied at Silver Oak School, Garhi Cantt, before joining the RIMC in class VII. His mother Yashoda, a teacher by profession, gives the credit to his son for successfully completing training.

Bringing laurels to state

• The Sword of Honour is presented to a cadet who excels in the passing-out course. The best cadet gets this prestigious honour. Lalit has been a keen sportsman, which can be gauged from the fact that shortly after passing out of the IMA, he left to play hockey for an Army team and will return to Dehradun by December end. An avid sportsman, Lalit also loves to play squash and has been part of the IMA squash team.