Begin typing your search...
Inspiration drove cabbie to become army officer
Life changed drastically for Om Paithane, a cab driver with an app-based service, when he picked up a retired colonel from the Indian Army on one of his trips. Motivated by the Colonel, Om joined the OTA and will soon be graduating as an officer.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Om, who hails from Tondal, a village near Pune, was pursuing his Bachelor’s in Computer Science at Kaveri College. His father, a driver, had met with an accident which severely injured his knees and had taken up the job of a watchman.
“My mother worked in the farm. During my final year, I got backlogs and started driving a cab to support myself and my family. During one of the trips, I met a retired colonel, who asked me why I was wasting my time like this. He then pointed out the opportunities in the Army for youngsters like me and encouraged me to join. Motivated by this, I cleared my final year exams, wrote the Combined Defence Services Examination, which I cleared. When I got through the SSB interview, my first call was to the Colonel,” said the cadet.
“My friends at the academy have an army background and are aware that a nice career is waiting for them. But people like me, don’t know that. There are no such facilities in my village. As an officer, I hope to motivate people in Tondal, inform them wabout the opportunities and tell my friends that life can get better, if they work hard,” he concluded.
‘Age is just a number’
After days of gruelling training, mental and physical, Lady Cadet Sushmita Pandey, wife of Major Pandey, who was martyred in Manipur on March 17, 2016, now believes that age is just a number. Sushmita, who is in her 30s, recalled her husband as a “responsible officer”.
“I wanted to proceed where my husband began his journey into the army, which is not just a profession but a way of life. I want to provide the same environment and dignity to my son,” said the mother of a five-year-old, adding that it was difficult to leave him behind during her training tenure at the OTA. The rigorous training brought a realisation that age is just a number.
“I was a lecturer in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and would find it hard to walk a few kilometres. But now, I can run for 30kms and 55kms. The training changed my lifestyle,” said the determined lady cadet. Today, Sushmita is proud of the person she has become. “Earlier, I was proud to be the wife of Major Pandey. Today, I am proud of becoming who I am,” said Sushmita.
History
- Officer Training School (OTS) at Madras was raised on January 1, 1963 with Brigadier Ram Singh as the first Commandant.
- 12 Emergency Commission courses were conducted between 1963 to 1965. From 1966 March, grant for short service commission (SSC) to the officer cadets commenced. On completion of 25 years of its raising, in January 1988, OTS was renamed as Officers Training Academy (OTA).
Achievements
- Gallantry awards by alumni: 1 Param Vir Chakra (PVC), 8 Ashoka Chakra (AC), 10 Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), 20 Kirti Chakra (KC), 60 Vir Chakra (VrC), 110 Shaurya Chakra (SC), 22 Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) and 491 Seva Medal (SM)
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android
Next Story
