Military school alumni win top honours among passing-out NDA cadets

The three top medal winners of the 150th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) share a common foundation: all are alumni of military schools and institutions known for nurturing future military leaders.

During the Passing Out Parade on Saturday, Rohit Kajla was awarded the President’s Gold Medal, while the President’s Silver and Bronze Medals were presented to Peeyush Rautela and Sahil Sharma, whose entry to NDA was itself a statement of perseverance, respectively.

Kajla said his father, a retired Havildar from the 3 Grenadiers Regiment, motivated him to pursue a career in the armed forces. “I hail from Jhajjar, Haryana. Inspired by my father to join the armed forces, I was enrolled in Rashtriya Military School, Bengaluru. The training at the school prepared me for a career in the military, and I cleared the NDA examination and the SSB (Services Selection Board) interview,” he said.

Kajla said his military school background helped him adapt to life at the NDA, though the academy’s demanding routine tested him both physically and mentally.

“The early morning schedules, rigorous drills and obstacle training were challenging during the initial terms,” he said.

Kajla recalled a defining moment during the gruelling ‘Camp Torna’ endurance exercise when an exhausted coursemate collapsed during a 40-km night march.

“Instead of moving ahead, the entire team waited for him to recover. We completed the challenge together, which reinforced the importance of teamwork and camaraderie,” he said.

For Rautela, seven years at Sainik School Ghorakhal (Uttarakhand) prepared him for the academy’s disciplined environment, though balancing academics with military training, sports and drills remained a challenge.

The son of a school teacher, Rautela said his primary motivation to join the NDA came from his time at Sainik School Ghorakhal.

“The environment, the instructors, my principal and vice-principal, and the strong bond I shared with my friends inspired me greatly to join the NDA. Moreover, the primary objective of institutions such as Sainik Schools and Rashtriya Military Schools is to prepare and induct more cadets into the National Defence Academy,” he said.

The training, discipline and daily routine that he experienced at the Sainik School were more than enough to motivate him to join the NDA, he said.

According to Rautela, an Academy Cadet Adjutant (ACA), the role demanded exemplary conduct as more than 2,000 junior cadets looked up to him. In the academy hierarchy, the ACA is the second-highest student appointment, tasked with commanding daily parades and enforcing strict military standards.

Sharma from Jammu and Kashmir credited perseverance and guidance from mentors for his success after repeated attempts to clear the SSB process. Son of a former soldier who served in the Army’s 72 Armoured Regiment for three decades, Sharma said he finally secured admission to the NDA on his fifth attempt.

“The encouragement of my instructors and officers helped me remain focused despite repeated setbacks,” he said.

Sharma studied at Rashtriya Military School, Chail (Himachal Pradesh), where his father enrolled him to help realise his ambition of joining the armed forces.

A total of 353 cadets, including 18 female cadets and 24 cadets from 12 friendly foreign countries, marched shoulder to shoulder, crossing the ‘Antim Pag’ to the tune of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at the premier tri-service institution on Saturday morning, said officials.

With their successful graduation, these cadets will join their respective pre-commission training academies and services as NDA alumni, marking a transformative milestone in the academy’s legacy and reinforcing its commitment to excellence, inclusivity and nation-building, they added.