17 women march into history as NDA's first co-ed batch graduates
17 women march into history as NDA's first co-ed batch graduates
Sandip Dighe
TNN
May 30, 2025, 14:47 IST IST
They were teenagers when they walked into one of India's toughest military academies. On May 30, they passed out as officer cadets from NDA — a moment that marks not just personal triumph, but a generational shift in how India's armed forces view gender, grit, and command
The National Defence Academy's 148th course is an interesting one; it is the 76-year-old institute's first co-ed batch. On May 30, its 17 women cadets took their place at the frontlines of the prestigious passing-out parade — not as participants, as they did in the last four parades, but as military officers in the making.
The day before the parade, Cadet Shriti Daksh was busy preparing her uniform for the big day. She made sure that absolutely nothing was out of place, not even a thread or shoelace. The entire country will be watching, she knew, as she and her 16 course mates — among the first women who will go on to serve permanent commissions in the Indian military — go past the 'Antim Pag' of the massive Arun Khetrapal parade ground at NDA in Pune's Khadakwasla.
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