Chennai:It was a poignant and a proud moment as Nitika Kaul, wife of Pulwama Martyr Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, was on Saturday inducted into the Indian Army at an impressive Passing Out Parade held at the country's premier defence training establishment, Officers Training Academy (OTA) here.
Ms Nitika Kaul donned the Army uniform with Lt Gen Y K Joshi, Commander of the Army's Northern Command, piping the stars on her shoulder during the POP at the OTA.A video on the event was shared in PRO Defence Ministry's website.
In a tweet, PRO Udhampur Ministry of Defence said "#MajVibhuti ShankarDhoundiyal, made the Supreme Sacrifice at #Pulwama in 2019, was awarded SC(P). Today his wife @Nitikakaul dons #IndianArmy uniform; paying him a befitting tribute."
'A proud moment for her as Lt Gen Y K Joshi, #ArmyCdrNC himself pips the Stars on her shoulders!", it said. One of her friends re-tweeted 'NitikaKaul is now Lieutenant Nitika Kaul Dhoundiyal. Hard to put into words what a soaring day this is. So proud of my young friend. Her husband Shaurya Chakra Maj Vibhuti made the supreme sacrifice 2019 post-Pulwama".
"Godspeed & salute, Lieutenant!", she said.Union Minister Ms Smiti Irani also took to her twitter handle to congratulateMs Nitika Kaul and hailed her Nari shakti."Lt. @NitikaKaul, you’re an embodiment of dedication, determination and devotion of India’s Nari Shakti", Ms Irani wrote.
"Major Vibhuti Dhoundiyal would be smiling today with joy and pride seeing.Stars on your shoulder. My best wishes to you in all your endeavours", the Union Minister said. Major Dhoundiyal laid down his life while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama and was awarded Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) for sacrificing his life for the Nation.
167 Gentleman cadets, 31 Women cadets inducted into Indian Army
A total of 167 Gentleman Cadets of the SSC-111 and 31 Women Cadets of the SSC (W)-25 Courses were inducted into the Indian Army on Saturday at an an impressive Passing Out Parade (POP) held at the Officer's Training Academy (OTA) here.
During the POP, five Gentleman Cadets and seven Women Cadets from the mountain kingdom of Bhutan also graduated after completing the training. Due to the present COVID-19 pandemic, parents of the graduating officer cadets were not able to witness the event.
However, OTA had made arrangements for live streaming of the POP and Pipping Ceremony on Doordarshan and YouTube Channels.The Parade was reviewed by Lt Gen Y K Joshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Northern Command, who also presented the Sword of Honour and OTA Gold Medal to Abdesh Katoch, Silver Medal to Adarsh Pratap Singh and the Bronze Medal to Mani Mehtab Dhaliwal, a women cadet.
The Reviewing Officer complimented the officer cadets and Staff of the OTA on the excellent all round standards displayed by all. He exhorted the passing out cadets to always adhere to the core values of ‘Selfless Service to the Nation’ and strive for excellence in all their endeavours.
The immaculate drill of Officer Cadets marching to enthralling martial tunes left the audience spell bound. It was a proud moment for the officer cadets, as also the Instructors and Administrative Staff of OTA who over the last 11 months have seen the transformation of these proud men and women into future leaders of the Indian Army.(UNI)