Dehradun: Sai Jadhav has smashed a glass ceiling at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.
The 23-year-old Sai has become the first woman to pass out from the IMA.
More than 67,000 officer cadets have passed out of the academy since its establishment in 1932, but Sai is the first female officer to be commissioned from this prestigious institution.
Sai, who has been commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Territorial Army, thus continued a proud family tradition, becoming the fourth generation to wear the uniform.
Her great-grandfather served in the British Army, her grandfather was in the Indian Army, while her father Sandeep Jadhav is still in service.
It was an extremely proud moment for Sai and the Jadhav family when her parents pinned the stars on her shoulders at the passing-out ceremony.
Post graduation, she cleared a national-level exam which opened the door to the Services Selection Board. A special permission enabled her to get into the IMA, followed by six months of rigorous training alongside male cadets. She met all standards and requirements at the training.
As Sai created history, veteran Army personnel hailed it as a milestone that will inspire generations of young girls.
There are eight female officer cadets currently training with the Indian Army, as the first batch selected through the National Defence Academy in 2022.
