Widow fulfils sepoy’s dream, to serve Indian Army as officer | India News

CHENNAI: Just a month after her wedding ceremony, Soni Bisht misplaced her husband, Sepoy Neeraj Singh Bhandari of 18 Kumaon Regiment, in an accident in Jan 2023. Instead of succumbing to grief, she selected to flip ache into goal, honouring her late husband’s dream by donning the Indian Army uniform as an officer.
On Saturday, on the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, she marched ahead within the Passing Out Parade as a warrior prepared to serve.
“When I learnt about the Veer Nari entry from officers of Kumaon Regiment, my father encouraged me to take this path,” stated Soni, daughter of retired subedar Kundan Singh of Brigade of Guards Battalion. “It was an uphill battle, but I conquered every challenge,” she stated, beaming with pleasure after being commissioned into the Army Ordnance Corps.
Among the newly commissioned officers was one other cadet, Ved Vijay Neog from Jorhat, Assam, who earned his Indian Army fee after years of battle. Recommended initially for the Indian Military Academy after commencement, Ved withdrew due to household hardships.
In Delhi, he juggled jobs, making espresso by day and delivering meals by evening to survive. He later discovered work as a journey photographer with main manufacturers, however his coronary heart remained set on the uniform. Determined, he cleared the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination and secured his place on the OTA.
These two cadets had been among the many 133 officer cadets and 24 girls officer cadets commissioned into varied arms and companies of the Indian Army. Additionally, 5 overseas officer cadets and 7 girls overseas officer cadets from 5 overseas nations accomplished their coaching.
The reviewing officer, Lt Gen Johnson P Mathew, chief of Integrated Defence Staff, offered the Sword of Honour to Manya M Kumar, the OTA gold medal to Pragati Thakur, the silver medal to Manya M Kumar, and the bronze medal to Surjeet Yadav. In his deal with, he urged the younger officers to uphold the ethos of selfless service and unwavering excellence in all they do.