‘Always wanted to be an officer’: 5 girls from UP Sainik School now on their way to NDA

For Vaishnavi Tripathi, models of Army tanks, guns and fighter jets were her toys as a child, and whenever she was asked what she aspired to be, her answer was the same – officer. Her childhood dreams suffered a setback when she lost her father in 2019, but her strong determination allowed her to persevere and she eventually got admitted to UP Sainik School in Lucknow. Today, the 17-year-old is one of five girls from the school heading to the prestigious Defense Academy at Kadawathra, near Pune.

Sainik School prepares students academically, physically and psychologically for service in the Defense Forces. Tripathi and four other girls from UP Sainik School – Hansi Malik, Priyanka, Sanskriti Sharma and Jyotsna Yadav – have cleared the Service Selection Board (SSB), a rare feat.

Tripathi, who hails from Lucknow, said she was grateful to the principal and the school for realizing her childhood dream. “I always wanted to be an army officer. However, since I lost my father, my heart was completely shaken. I thought about giving up, but when I was admitted to Sainik School, I started dreaming again, and I did it, “she says.

Priyanka, another student, said: “The SSB module was specially designed for us. Experts were specially invited to train us, and we gave special tuition classes to the entire class of Class 12 during the summer vacation. We had a lot of guidance from time to time, and regular tests and interviews helped We passed the test.”

“Regularity is the key to success. Our efforts are consistent, whether it is the end of exams or summer vacation, we work hard and never think of relaxing. I think this is the reward for our spontaneous efforts and regularity,” she added road.

Priyanka’s father Subedhar Vijay Kumar also serves in the Indian Army. He was posted to Leh while her mother Krishna Devi was a housewife. It was a completely life-changing experience for a man who was about to become the most elite cadet in all military training academies. Priyanka had been living with her father for seven years when he was posted to Kapurthala and Dehradun.

Of the 27 seats for girls in NDA, five seats are occupied by girls from UP Sainik schools – an impressive 18.5 per cent of the total selection. They are among 15 girls at the school, the first sainik school to open to women in 2018. This is the first time that 5 girls have passed the exam. They are now waiting for their merit list based on their marks in the written test and SSB interview. The girls will also have to pass the Class XII board examination before heading to NDA for training in July.

“This is a proud moment for us. It is the first time that we have had so many girls from the same school. In addition to the five girls, five boys have been selected to bring honors to the school .” said Colonel Rajesh Raghav, who has been serving as the principal since 2021.

He said that the achievement was the result of the joint efforts of the students. “I commend my academic faculty and staff for their unwavering support in achieving this feat. I am also grateful to the senior personalities of UPSAINIAN and the state officials for the confidence they have reposed in me. I am confident that with time, this outcome will With improvements, this elite educational institution will carve a niche in the future and achieve its lost glory,” he added.

Colonel Raghav further said that these students were selected through a rigorous internal process to ascertain their potential. They are then motivated to work in areas such as general knowledge, communication skills, reasoning, and develop a thorough understanding of selection mechanisms.

The five boys who passed the test are Sachin Gupta, Vatsal Gangwar, Bhavesh Saini, Ritik Kumar and Ajeet Pratap Singh, he added.