For Swati Santhosh Mahadik, the 38-year-old widow of Colonel Santhosh Mahadik, who was killed in a battle with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir two years ago, the transformation has been radical. From being a teacher, she chose to take a different path and was among the 322 cadets who passed out on Saturday from the Officers Training Academy (OTA). She took a conscious decision to follow her husband’s path. “Santhosh Mahadik is my first love, although he loved his uniform the most,” said Ms. Mahadik, mother of a 12-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son.
“I was initially scared of water and hesitant to take the 10-m jump in the water. But I overcame my fears after the officers warned me that the course would be extended for another six months,” she said.
Speaking at the passing-out parade at Officers Training Academy (OTA), General Officer Commanding in-Chief (Southern Command) Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz said, “The Indian Army is admired globally for its professionalism in handling critical situations.” The Reviewing Officer congratulated the OTA for having toiled hard to turn out a dynamic group of young military leaders. Nidhi Dubey, another martyr’s widow, joined Ms. Mahadik to become an officer. Nidhi Dubey was only 25 when her husband Mukesh Kumar Dubey, an army jawan, died of a cardiac arrest. She was four months pregnant then, went to her mother’s place, and after suffering from depression for several months, the Madhya Pradesh resident decided to fight back.
International cadets
A total of 322 officer cadets got commissioned into the Army. This comprised 266 gentleman cadets and 31 lady cadets. Also, 25 cadets from Bhutan, Maldives, Fiji and Afghanistan will return to their contingents. The coveted ‘Sword of Honour’ and the gold medal were presented to Abhishek R. The silver medal for standing second in overall order of merit was given to Aarushi Sharma and the bronze medal for standing third was awarded to Vivek. The Chief of Army Staff banner for the champion company was presented to Jessami Company.
