The recently concluded passing out parade at National Defence Academy saw female cadets marching for the first time, and The President of India Draoupadi Murmu inspecting the parade, as NDA gears up for celebrating 75 years of its existence. In these 75 years the NDA has churned out a batch of young guns every six months who, after undergoing grueling training for three years, have gone on to make the nation proud, as daring and dedicated officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Many of the alumni of NDA have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, in various operations.

The 95th course of NDA, is one such course that passed out of the NDA in Dec 1998 and is currently celebrating the silver jubilee of the event. The event included a gala reunion dinner and a homage ceremony at the ‘Hut of Remembrance’ in NDA. The course paid rich tributes to 19 of their comrades who have laid down their lives in the service of the nation over the last 25 years. The highlight of the occasion was that the families of 11 of these martyrs were present during the events. This included families of Major Dinesh Raghuraman and Major Mohit Sharama both of whom were posthumously awarded Ashok Chakra, the highest peace time gallantry award. These families expressed their joy on attending the event. The alumni of the 95th course have many awards to their credit for gallantry, distinguished service, and adventure.

These officers from all three services relived the memories from their days as cadets of NDA (‘cradle of leadership’), which forged them into the finest officers of the Indian armed forces. With their families as witnesses to the series of events and some very emotional moments, it was evident that even after the passage of twenty-five years, the spirit, affinity and affection within this close knit group has not diminished one bit. If anything, it has increased manifold. The event was a testament to the rich culture and strong bonds that are nurtured amongst the armed forces fraternity across the three services during their training at NDA and other similar academies.