TN girl aces UPSC, set to join naval academy
Little did I know that four years later, I'd be sailing through similar-looking seas as a naval officer."
The 18-year-old daughter of IT professionals is the first girl from
Tamil Nadu
to join the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala, Kerala, after clearing the NDA/NA exam, which involves clearing the
UPSC
after Class XII, through the permanent commission entry. She will train at INA as a naval cadet for four years starting July 14, after which she will receive a BTech degree.
Women were allowed as cadets in the defence services after Class XII only after a 2021 Supreme Court order. The first batch joined National Defence Academy in Pune in 2022, and 17 women graduated in May 2025, with most of them from Haryana and UP. There were only a few in the Navy, and none was from TN.
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Reaching the final stage of recruitment for INA was physically and mentally demanding. After training at NDA Defence Coaching Institute in Chennai, Harini cleared the UPSC exam in Sept last year, securing an All India Rank of 279.
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She then passed five stages of evaluation held by Services Selection Board, which included psychological assessments, an interview, and a medical exam.
Harini recalls the medical screening as the most nerve-wracking. "There's not a single part of your body that goes unscanned. I've heard of candidates discovering undiagnosed ailments during the process."
Her love for the waters and physical activity, she says, began at a young age.
"I took my first swimming lesson at five," she says. Over the next decade, she trained in athletics and basketball, and eventually led her school team to multiple victories. Her father Raghavendran Venkataramana has been a major influence on her. "I started accompanying him on adventure trips from the age of 15," says Harini.
Her mother Ramya R, recalls relocating homes to be closer to Harini's basketball coaching centre and enrolling her in summer camps to help her become comfortable staying away from home.
"Compared to states like Haryana and Rajasthan, awareness and exposure to careers in defence is quite low in TN," said Major Madhan Kumar, one of Harini's mentors.
Recalling her recent experience as a guest speaker at Sainik School, Amaravathinagar, she says "It felt like a personal milestone, to inspire others through my journey."
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