401 Cadets Pass Out From The Indian Military Academy

Dehradun: Under a cloud speckled winter sky with the historic Chetwode building in the background, 401 cadets took part in the Passing Out Parade at the Indian Military Academy or IMA in Dehradun today. Along with them were 53 foreign cadets from eight friendly nations.

Rose petals were showered from a chopper, carpeting the institute's tarmac drill square.

The gentlemen Cadets were immaculate in their turnout and the excellent drill movements indicated a high level of motivation, pride and cohesion achieved by them during their training at IMA.

The Reviewing Officer at the Parade was an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Narinder Pal Singh Hira.

Addressing the gentlemen cadets after reviewing the colourful Passing Out Parade performed by them, Lt Gen Hira said they were privileged to have trained at the IMA, which is considered the best in the field, and asked them to make optimum use of the skills learnt in serving the country.

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"You walk into the footsteps of officers who served the country with great courage in 1962 war and the subsequent wars fought in 1965, 1971 and the Kargil war. You should draw inspiration from them. IMA instils the best qualities in its cadets and you should try to make optimum use of them in serving your country," he said.

The memorable 'last step' in the life of every cadet as they cross the Chetwood threshold to become officers of the Army, was captured in cameras of parents, guardians and wardens present at the occasion.

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The Sword of Honour went to Academy Under Officer Pratyush Mohanty and the gold medal to Academy Cadet Adjutant Malla Rajagopal Naidu.

Out of the 401 gentlemen cadets the maximum 77 are from Uttar Pradesh, 46 from Haryana, 29 from Uttarakhand, 28 from Bihar and 26 from Rajasthan.

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(with inputs from agencies)