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Mumbai: India's National Defence Academy (NDA), which has the distinction of being one of the first institutions in the world to impart combined training to officer cadets of the army, navy and air force, will turn 60 on January 16 next year.
The historic moment will be celebrated with a line-up of impressive events by NDA's cadets - with expeditions to the Himalayas, a 70-day voyage from Kochi to Seychelles via Salalah and back on the Indian Naval Ship Tarangini and a glider air expedition from NDA to Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
"The NDA is celebrating with a mixture of adventure and intellectual, cultural and artistic activities based on our training ethos," said Air Marshal T.S. Randhawa, NDA Commandant.
Military leaders
A reunion from December 6-8 will have the Indian President as the chief guest, who will be accompanied by all the three service chiefs, the defence minister, chief ministers of all states as well as the alumni including foreign officers, Randhawa said, briefing reporters on the at a press conference to brief reporters on the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. "On January 16, 2009 will be a candle light homage ceremony in memory of our departed colleagues," he said.
"The NDA trains over 1,800 cadets at a time, training boys into military leaders who have time and again proved their calibre in the service of the nation," he said. The institution has trained over 30,000 cadets including 1,600 foreigners. Getting admitted to the NDA itself is a major task - only 300 are chosen from nearly 300,000 aspirants every six months.
He admitted there was a shortage of officers in the country. "We have taken up with the Government of India to induct 120 more cadets in to the NDA."
Once approved, it may take two years to set up the infrastructure, he said.
The country's prestigious institution is located in a 2,800-hectare hilly estate in Khadakwasla near Pune in the western Maharashtra state.
Apart from academics, cadets go through rigorous training in outdoor skills-physical training, equestrian games, swimming and hockey - with emphasis on character building, leadership and observation skills. After the three-year training here, the graduates go on to join the specialised academies of the three services before induction into service.
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