Dehradun: Defense minister A K Antony will take the salute at the Passing-out-Parade of the Indian Military Academy on Saturday morning. As many as 688 cadets, including 71 foreign cadets will be passing out of the portals of the Academy.
The coveted Sword of Honour to the best all round cadet will be awarded to Akshant Joshi, while Kamlesh Mani will get the gold medal for standing first in order of merit. The silver medal will also be awarded to Akshant Joshi while the bronze medal will go to Vikki Duhoon .
Amongst the foreign cadets who will be passing out, 52 are from Afghanistan, five from Tazakistan, five from Bhutan, five from Kazakhistan, two from Nepal and two from Mauritius. A chopper will shower petals on the passing out cadets as they take the last step from the drill square into the hallowed Chetwode Hall.
The largest contingent of 105 cadets is from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 80 from Haryana. This small hill state, where the Academy has located has the third place in the number of cadets with 46 from Uttarakhand, with Maharshtra with 44 and Punjab with 43 close by.
Ironically, despite being a big state, Gujerat lures few into the armed forces as there are just two cadets from the state who will be passing out. Other states with low representation are Goa one, Andaman and Nicobar one, Arunachal Pradesh two and Chattisgarh three.
A journalist with over 40 years of experience, Jagdish Bhatt was Editor, Hill Post (Uttarakhand).
Jagdish had worked with India’s leading English dailies, which include Times of India, Indian Express, Pioneer and several other reputed publications. A highly acclaimed journalist, he was a recipient of many awards
Jagdish Bhatt, aged 72, breathed his last on 28th August 2021 at his Dehradun residence.
