CHENNAI: Her father is a clerk. Her disabled brother runs a mobile repair shop, and her family belongs to the low-income group. But, none of these challenges stopped Annapurani V, a 23-year-old girl from Andipatti village in Theni district, from realising her dream of wearing the famed olive green uniform of the Indian Army. She was among 167 cadets (136 men and 31 women) who graduated from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) here on Saturday. Additionally, 11 cadets from foreign countries (eight from Bhutan, two from Fiji and one from Papua New Guinea) graduated too.
From finishing engineering, a subject she did not particularly like, to graduating from the OTA as an officer after three attempts, the road to success was not easy for Annapurani. “When I was in my final year of college in Coimbatore, my mother kept telling me to return home and work in a job that paid `10,000 per month,’’ said Annapurani. She was also told that marriage would soon follow. But Annapurani had better, bigger plans. “I decided I shouldn’t get married at 22 like other women in my hometown,” she says. It was then that she came across CCUS (Centre for Career in Uniformed Services) in Coimbatore through college lectures.
Guided by professionals, five days after finishing college in 2018, Annapurani joined the OTA to train to be an Army officer. However, her dreams hit a stumbling block when she was relegated due to fitness issues. “I did not have a sports or NCC background. So when I failed, I decided to work harder and prove a point,’’ added Annapurani, who cleared the course in her third attempt. Director General of Police (Railways), C Sylendra Babu was at the OTA to congratulate Annapurani. As he was associated with CCUS, he knew the girl, who was striving hard to join the Army. “When a young girl from a small village can reach these heights, it proves that any woman can succeed,’’ Sylendra Babu told Express.
Diverse backgrounds
Among those who passed out from OTA were sons of farmers, wives of martyrs and former employees of top MNCs. Naveen Udamesh, a 26-year-old engineer with Mercedes, quit his six-digit salaried job and joined the OTA. “The satisfaction you get in wearing the uniform and serving the country is beyond monetary value,’’ said Udamesh, who hails from Dharwad in Karnataka.
Amit Kumar Shukla (26), who passed the OTA course in his second attempt, is a son of a farmer. “Many in my village are not aware of the opportunities the army provides. I look forward to spreading awareness among other youngsters there,’’ said Shukla, who hails from Rewa in Madhya Pradesh.Gauri Prasad Mahadik (33) from Mumbai is wife of a martyr who was part of Bihar regiment. He died in 2017. ‘’I dedicate this to my husband and I only wanted to join the Army for him,’’ said Mahadik.