AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 161 of 237 " To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his gods…” -“Horatius,” stanza XXVII in Lays of Ancient Rome, ‘Temple of Remembrance’, a sacred monument houses the brave with an eternal flame symbolizing the unending spirit of sacrifice. It has 252 inscriptions of men of valour and sacrifice since 1965. Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran, PVC (Posthumous), Cyrus Pithawalla among 8 ACs, 10 MVCs, 66 VrCs, 110 SCs and numerous gallantry and distinguished service awardees adorn the Academy. Lt Gen AS Nandal is the first alumnus Corps Cdr. Among the luminaries are Capt Shekhar Dutt, SM, SS 3 course (OP officer in 1971 war) former Governor of Chhattisgarh, Capt VK Duggal former Lt Gov’nr of Mizoram, Col Harcharan Singh and Capt Romeo James members of Indian Hockey Team, Probir Sur (SS 9) captained the Services cricket team, Capt Ganesh Karnik MLA in Karnataka Assembly and many IAS, IRS, and IPS achievers. OTA is a unique institution in the Asian sub-continent. It is perhaps the first military academy in Asia which trains men and women under one roof and one routine. The curriculum, approach to discipline and participation is same for men and women cadets. A 30 Km march with combat load is a must do for men and women if they have to get commissioned. There is no gender bias in rewarding restrictions or relegations or dismissals for indiscipline. Nor is there a bias in carrying out the punishment under drill ustads. Although the pre commission training is only 11 months, it is tough and surprisingly, men and women take it in their stride with enthusiasm with a fierce aim of getting their coveted rank. There is a zeal to prove themselves in the bastion of bravery, audacity, camaraderie- “Hum Kisise Kam Nahin”. The ante room rigour, toughening and roughing up is a tradition followed religiously. Swallowing a tie conveys swallowing one’s ego, fend a blow of a hockey stick, take in a good punch, cadet mess learnings to distinguish salt and sugar, table manners and cycle squad discipline are among the methods that transforms a graduate and