South Indian youth prefer Army

More and more youth from South India prefer a job in the armed forces over a corporate career, according to Lt Gen S S Jog, commandant of Officer Training Academy (OTA).

Speaking after a glittering passing out parade on Saturday, Lt Gen Jog said that the growing popularity of armed forces among the youth in the South was confirmed by the sizeable strength of corporate professionals who changed tracks to be part of the Indian Army.

Interestingly, this could be summed up by the fact that this year 379 cadets (288 men and 71 ladies), earned their stripes after the passing out parade, marking the largest batch in the history of the academy.

And among these, a total of 40 cadets are from the South, including 10 from Tamil Nadu. (Four of them belong to Chennai.)

“There is a long and gruelling training which precedes this festivity, encompassing physical training, educational competencies, weapon training, drill and social etiquette in addition to experiential conditioning in the skills and the attitudes needed for military success — all this in a short span of 49 weeks” said Lt Gen Jog.

The batch also included 20 cadets from Afghanistan who are slated to join the Afghan National Army.

Lt Gen Jog said that military academies instill the confidence, character and competence needed to transcend the fear of life, through a dynamic process.

OTA is universally revered as a military institution which infuses key leadership elements in young men and women aged 21 - 26, coming from diverse regional and academic backgrounds.

The parade was reviewed by Lt Gen AK Singh, general-officer-commanding-in-chief of the army’s Southern Command.

Speaking on the occasion, the general complimented the young officers for adopting a military career. An alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Lt Gen Singh exhorted the young officers to live up to the words of Lord Philip Chetwode, “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.”