Introduction

A decision was taken by the Government of India on 22 Sep, 1945, that an academy
to train officers for the three Services together, should be started. No such i
nstitution existed any where else in the world at that time! Government approval
was accorded on 17 February 1948. The deserted Prisoner of War Camp in Clement
Town near Dehradun, was chosen as the interim location. 190 cadets (141 for the
Army, 25 Navy and 24 for the Air Force) reported at Clement Town between 6- 9 Ja
n 1949. The training started from 11 Jan 1949.
The First Course/Batch of any training institution has a special place in its hi
story and progress. They are the trend setters. Former cadets of the 1st Course
JSW feel very privileged and proud of their lead position in the evolution of th
is Premier Academy, which for over half a century has been the main source of in
take of officers in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
This website for the First Course of ISW/JSW later NDA has been designed by Lt G
en Harbhajan Singh PVSM, Signal Officer-in-Chief Indian Army 1988-91 (a member o
f the 1st Course, Cadet number A/46), to perpetuate the legacy of the Course. In
this way, also to honor the Institution in which the Course started its militar
y training, the mentors (training staff) and course mates, including their famil
ies.

Beginning
The Concept
Service training institutions for cadets worldwide, till the end of World War II
were Service specific ie Armies, Navies and Air Forces trained their own cadets
. However, one of the important lessons learnt particularly during 1939-45 War w
as to have greater inter- service integration, not only in men and machines but
minds too, to hone the three Armed Forces as an integrated striking force. It wa
s therefore considered desirable to bring the cadets of the three Services toget
her right from the beginning, so that they could start developing and imbibing j
ointness from the very first day of their training.
The Trigger
In 1941, the Government of Sudan placed a sum of R 14 Lakhs (quite an amount in
those days) at the disposal of the Viceroy of India for building a suitable War
Memorial as a token of recognition of the services rendered and sacrifices made
by the Indian Troops in the defence of its Country. In 1943, General Auckinleck,
the Commander-in-Chief suggested the founding of an Inter- Service Academy as t
he National War Memorial. The Viceroy set up a Committee to examine the proposal
and Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the members. On 22 Sep, 1945, it was decide
d that India should have only one academy to train officers for the three Servic
es. It was a very dynamic and important decision, as even in UK and USA there wa
s no such institution!
The core of the Indian experiment was that youth from diverse backgrounds and be
liefs would be trained together physically, mentally and morally for sufficient
time to be able to act in unison. They would live together, study together, work
together, play together, win or lose together. The friendships so developed in
the formative years would ensure that the future officers of the three Services
were on the friendliest terms with each other and there was a spirit of give and
take, mutual understanding and camaraderie. And when they separate, they will b
e able to appreciate the points of view of brother officers of the other Service
s. In later years when as senior officers they meet each other in conferences, t
hey will not start in an atmosphere tinged with mutual suspicion, but in one enl
ightened with their previous knowledge of each other and common experiences and
background at the ISW/JSW/NDA.
West Point as the Model
The founding of the ISW/JSW/NDA was an amalgamation of several ideas. A committe
e of three eminent educationists and a representative from each Service visited
military training institutions in UK, USA and Canada, studied their syllabi and
functioning. In India there was the Indian Military Academy (IMA), started on th
e lines of Sandhurst. The attractive features of West Point were its aims and ob
jectives, its honour code as well as the academic curriculum.
A press communiqué was issued on 2 May 1945, stating the intent of the Government
to set up a Military Academy on the lines of US Military Academy at West Point f
or the education and basic training of future officers of the three Services tog
ether. This was considered to be the most suitable form for the National War Mem
orial. Another Committee was next appointed to work out the details of organisat
ion, setting up and working of the proposed Academy.
The report of the Committee was approved in Dec 1946 and a new Section-MT 9 was
formed at Army Headquarters, under Col Kamta Prasad, MC, to ensure that various
sanctions were obtained and different aspects of the Project were speeded up. Th
e Partition of the Country into India and Pakistan delayed the setting up of the
Academy. Subsequently, on 23 Sep 1947, as an interim measure, setting up of a J
unior Experimental Wing of the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun was sanctione
d, while the planning for the National War Academy at Khadakwasla, carried on.
On 17 February 1948, Government of India accorded approval for the setting up of
the Inter-Services War Academy. Subsequently, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru did not appr
ove of the name National War Academy due to its aggressive overtones and the nam
e was changed to National Defence Academy. On 15 December 1948, Colonel Kamta Pr
asad, Deputy Commandant (designate) and his Team arrived in a deserted Prisoner-
of-War Camp in Clement Town near Dehradun, to set up the Inter-Services Wing (I
SW).
On 31 Dec 1948, Brigadier Thakur Mahadeo Singh, DSO,
Commandant IMA issued Special Order of the Day. IMA will be re-designated as Arm
ed Forces Academy (AFA) wef 1 January 1949. It will have two Wings; viz. Militar
y Wing and an Inter-Services Wing (ISW). AFA will be the interim National War Ac
ademy. Our Country is the first in the World to start the basis of true Inter-Se
rvices training and cooperation. It is a unique honour and privilege to all memb
ers of the Staff and Cadets who will be associated with the initiation of this g
reat experiment.
The Selection Procedure
India gained independence on 15 August 1947. Prior to and after this date there
were intense communal riots in many parts of the Country. The Partition involved
massive migration of population, particularly from Punjab and Bengal and result
ed in large number of refugees. Education system was disrupted in these two stat
es. The invasion of Jammu and Kashmir by Tribals from NWF Province, masterminded
and aided by Pakistan Military started in mid Oct 1947 and Indian Forces got bu
sy in J&K. Indianisation of the Armed Forces was also taken in hand. In spite of
such preoccupations of the Ministry of Defence and Services Headquarters, in pa
rticular the Army Headquarters, it was very creditable that arrangements to star
t the ISW as early as Jan 1949 were made with considerable speed and efficiency.
The advertisements for entry into First Course ISW appeared in various newspaper
s towards the Third Quarter of 1948. The selection process comprised of prelimin
ary selection at different Sub Area and other headquarters. The successful candi
dates were asked to appear before Services Selection Boards (SSBs) at Meerut, Ba
reilly and Bangalore. Candidates for the Air Force were sent to the Air Force Se
lection Centre at Clement Town. Those who made the final merit list were intimat
ed through letters and service telegrams to report to ISW at Clement Town, betwe
en 6 and 9 Jan 1949.
Cadet Ashok Datta (A-26) had the distinction of being the first ever cadet who g
ot "A" rating at the SSB. The SSB took this as a case study and monitored Ashok'
s career while he was at the JSW, later IMA and thereafter. Ashok Datta proved t
he SSB rating right, as he became the Academy Cadet Captain in JSW, won the Pres
ident's Gold Medal for being the best all round cadet and later repeated the sam
e at IMA also. Unfortunately, his brilliant career was cut short, when he passed
away at a young age, when he was only a Lt Col.

Formative Years
Ends and Means
The 'Ends and Means' of the Joint Services Wing were spelt out thus. The Joint Se
rvices Wing catches the potential officer young. He is given thorough and varied
training, designed to make him eventually just not a professionally efficient s
oldier, sailor or airman, above all, a dedicated servant of the Country, blessed
with the unique privilege of living and, if need be, dying for the Motherland.
The process is four fold-the cadet is given a sound basic all round Liberal educ
ation (of muscle no less than of mind), so that before he proceeds to learn his
job, he knows something of everything. He goes through some amount of elementary
Service training. He is indoctrinated with the joint service ideal, by being in
troduced through personal contact and lectures, to the practices, problems and p
ersonalities of the three Services. Above all, his character is scientifically s
haped by the inculcation of loyalty, discipline, devotion to duty, a sense of hu
mour, initiative, self confidence, resourcefulness, team spirit and other qualit
ies of leadership. From the daring new type of training is expected to emerge a
new type of officer, more liberal and cultured but as tough and efficient, more
friendly to the other two Services but as loyal and proud of his own'.
The First Course Arrives
The First Batch of cadets for the three Services joined ISW at Clement Town on 6
, 7, 8 and 9 January 1949. Cadet A-188, DS Sabhiki (later Air Marshal) had the d
istinction of being the first to report, at 0630 hrs on 6 Jan 1949 . A few cadet
s like Jagjit and Shukul (both Army) joined a few days after 9 January. There we
re 25 cadets for the Navy (A-1 to A-25), 144 for the Army (A-26 to A-166 plus A-
189 to A-191) and 21 for the Air Force (A-167-A188; A-169 did not report). Mudho
lkar , NC Suri and Brijender Chimni changed over from Navy to Air Force and RB R
ai to the Army from Navy. From the Air Force lot, TV Manoharan, Bangara and Dube
y came to the Army. Chimni had the distinction of first changing from Navy to Ai
r Force and then to the Army! DK Ghosh, a naval cadet had the privilege of havin
g the number A-1!
The Course comprised of young men from diverse backgrounds and places. National
integration in 1949 was not to the extent it is now a days. People in one part o
f the Country say North or South, knew very little about those living in other p
arts and vice versa. However, the cadets soon got to know one another, carved ou
t their turfs and friendships. Sports, extra-curriculum activities and hobbies s
tarted gradually and got the cadets busy.
In the beginning everything looked so different, new and strange. The daily rout
ine was tough with PT, drill, followed by academic classes, workshop practice, S
ervice subjects, weapon training, field craft and rather enjoyable D&M (Driving
and Maintenance). In the afternoons after a bit of well deserved rest, there wer
e sports. One had to get ready for the evening in Bushirts. At sun down there wa
s the mandatory ANTI MOSQUITO precautions Parade. All the Sections fell in, in f
ront of their living barracks. It was mandatory to wear long sleeves and trouser
s and all cadets had to apply mosquito repellent cream on exposed parts of the b
ody. (In the Second World War, Allied Forces in South East Asia , suffered large
casualties due to Malaria. Anti Malaria measures were therefore formalised. Any
one getting Malaria was punished severely as it was considered a preventable di
sease)!.
To start with, cadets from the three Services were issued distinctive Service sp
ecific uniforms. However, soon this was rescinded and all cadets were given comm
on Khaki dress, so that an atmosphere of oneness and jointness prevailed. This d
ress with minor modifications along with Blue Patrols continues till today.
The Course had about 40 cadets from RIMC and KGRIM. They were well versed with m
ilitary discipline, drill, PT, wearing of uniforms, military etiquettes and had
an edge. The others even did not know how to stand at attention, wear anklets or
shine their boots, but caught up fast.
Since there were no senior courses and precedences, this was also the start of t
he setting up of trends, building up customs and traditions and germination of t
he inter-service ethos.
ISW was housed in barracks in which Italian Prisoners of War lived during World
War II. The MES must have been busy for quite some months to get the living, off
ice, classroom and mess accommodation ready as also arrange furniture and variou
s ancillaries by the end of Dec 1948. The cadets were fairly comfortable when th
ey arrived. However, in the first few weeks, the cadets picked up picks and shov
els and spruced up the area around their living barracks, including some gardeni
ng.
The training including academic classes started wef 11 January 1949 . The civili
an professors led by the Principal Mr. JTM Gibson were a selected lot but had no
experience working in military environment. Mr. Bhawani Shankar, Mr. Bhawnani,
Dr. Virender Verma, Mr. Basu, Mr. Wanchoo, Mr. Sehgal, Mr. Dias, Mr. Isaac were
some of the finest professors selected through the UPSC. The syllabus covered ve
ry large number of subjects at Intermediate level; in both science and arts. Awa
rd of gradings generated a number of ideas. Civilian instructors were given powe
rs to award up to seven Puttie Parades and initially some cadets indulged in moc
k Parade State reporting and Orderly Room procedures in the classrooms to have s
ome diversion from studies. The Sick Bay was a favourite place for those who wan
ted to relax a bit.
The military training included drill, PT, weapon training, army, naval and air f
orce organisations and minor tactics. Capt Pathania, the Adjutant was a respecte
d figure as also Capt Bains the PT Officer. A few drill and PT instructors were
obtained on loan from England (for drill RSM Prestige, Sgt Majs Pierce and Armst
rong and for PT Sgt Fairy and a couple more). They proved their worth along with
their Indian counter parts. The Indian JCO and NCO instructors did not like the
importance given to the British Staff and at times showed it. Out of the Indian
instructors, one still remembers Sub Chuni Lal of the Punjabis and Hav Maj Burg
e of MLI, for their excellent bearing and conduct.
No cadet could go out to Town unless he had passed the dreaded Drill Square nor
were the bearers allowed to polish boots etc. The cadets practiced marching, sal
uting, other drill movements and saw to it that they wore the uniforms properly.
The drill instructors were also highly charged to ensure that maximum number of
cadets in their squads passed in the first attempt. The majority did pass and t
he unlucky ones had to wait a few more days to have a second try. Dehradun Town
was flooded with ISW cadets on the week end following the Drill Square !
There was considerable experimentation as regards cadet appointments and distinc
tive badges they were to adorn. Finally 'five pointed brass stars' were decided
upon, to be worn on the chest. Initially, the cadet appointments were by rotatio
n.
The Military Instructors were efficient, firm but friendly and handled the cadet
s well. Who can forget the likes of Maj GS Saran (Rajputs), 'A' Squadron Command
er, Lt Sarma of the Navy, not only marching but even cycling with his chest stuc
k out. He would return the greetings of even the sweepers with a smart salute an
d uttering 'good morning Topus'!! The strict Sqn Ldr MB Chand, 'B' Squadron Comm
ander, Capt DS Dhindsa (Sikh Regt), Capt Pannu (ASC), Capt Amarjit Singh (Armour
ed Corps), Capt Anand (Sikh LI) and highly popular, Capt Sahai (Ordnance)!
The cadets were given a pay of Rs. 90 per month. Out of this, after deducting ma
ndatory expenses for services like barber, washer man etc, Rs. 25 was paid in ca
sh and this came in quite handy. The bonanza, however, lasted only a year! Smoki
ng was not permitted but some found secluded places to have a few puffs (tight s
pace above the living barrack ceilings being most common). Everyone used to be s
o hungry due to physical exertion and the Catering Staff led by Maj Babbbar had
to keep a vigil to guard against some gluttons going in for second or even third
B'fast!!
The Drill Square was being extended and within a few months a Naval Mast arrived
from Bombay and became a famous landmark. It was the largest Drill Square in th
e Country and may be Asia ! The drill instructors led by RSM Prestige, fumed, hu
ffed and puffed to put the cadets in some military shape and bearing. Those awar
ded extra drills and restrictions had to visit the Drill Square at additional la
id down timings.
Camp Green Horn was the first major outing the Course had. The setting up of the
camp, inspections, competitions, guard duties and patrolling gave the first tas
te of life in the field. Many a lessons were learnt and techniques to survive in
the field imbibed.
Formal Inauguration of Armed Forces Academy
On 04 Jun 1949, the then Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel formerl
y inaugurated the Armed Forces Academy at a ceremonial parade at Clement Town ne
w Parade Ground. Cadets of both ISW and Military Wing took part.
Arrival of Second Course
The Second Course arrived in Jul 1949 and it was a big event. The First Course w
as eagerly waiting for the juniors to arrive, put them through their paces and i
nitiate the new arrivals to the military ways. 'C' and 'D' Squadrons were added
and a second mess came into being. The cadets of both the courses were mixed up
in all the sections, divisions and squadrons. Considerable ragging took place bu
t within a short period both the courses developed good rapport and friendships.
Sports
Sports played an important role in the training curriculum at the ISW. In the ea
rly days the sports grounds, tennis courts and squash courts were being got read
y. However, these improved over time. There was a Plunge Bath (which still exist
s) and looked like an International Standard Swimming Pool to most of us those d
ays!! The Course had some good sportsmen. Inter squadron competitions were held
in each sport and there was healthy competition. At times, matches were played a
gainst Military Wing and local teams as well.
Sukhbir Garewal was a national standard cricket player, Harbakhsh Sodhi, Hasabni
s, Jakatdar, Surinder Singh were also enthusiastic cricketers. Jaitly excelled i
n swimming and diving, Katty and Laroia were also good swimmers and Pannu became
quite a swimmer too. Brij Tewari, Caveeshar, Andy and Bhagat Singh were keen ba
sketball players, Jimmy Dovedy could control and shoot the football at will. Rav
i Sawhney, Rajju Shahani and BK Laroia were good in tennis. BK Laroia and KD Iss
ar were leading players in squash. Padamjit, Chimni, Surinder Singh, Sultan Mal,
Malhi and Harbhajan played hockey well, Roddy, Gurung, Nirmal Suri, Tony Archer
, GK Sen were tough boxers and Hanut, Giyan Gupta, LB Sondhi keen riders. Durjan
Shekhawat, Madanjit, Niranjan Khera, Harbhajan, Mohinder Kahlon and Giyan Gupta
were the track and field stars.
Hobbies and Clubs
ISW offered avenues and facilities for wide range of hobbies and extra curricula
r activities like debating, music, dramatics, arts and crafts,hiking, dramatics,
aero-modelling . These kept the cadets occupied in constructive pursuits. The m
ost popular was the local cinema. Western cowboy and Hindi movies were popular.
Calendar of Important Events
Details of important events during 1949-50, while the 1 st Course was at the ISW
/JSW are given blow:-
6-9 January 1949. 1 st Batch of cadets (1 st Course ISW/JSW reported at Clement
Town.

11 January 1949, training commenced

February 1949, various clubs started functioning.

04 June1949, Inauguration Parade held.

Second Week July 1949, Second Course started to arrive.

18 Jul 1949 , 2 nd Term started.

6 October 1949 , Foundation Stone of NDA laid at Khadakwasla.

1st November 1949, Post of Commandant AFA upgraded to Major General.

1 st December1949, the Reporters Club produced First Issue of the Monthly Magazi
ne.

23 November 1950 , Ceremonial Parade held at the Military Wing for laying-up the
Kings Colours of Indian Regiments. JSW cadets also took part, this time with ri
fles.
First Course Passing-Out Parade
Although the First Course by and large enjoyed their stay and training at ISW/ J
SW, each cadet was eagerly looking forward to the day when they will successfull
y complete their training, pass out and move on to Service specific academies an
d training.
The Passing-out Parade was held on 8 December 1950 thus marking the successful c
ompletion of the training of First Batch of First ever Inter Service Academy any
where in the World. Quite a landmark in the soldiering history of the World and
lives of 1st 'J' cadets.!!
General KM Cariappa, the First Indian Chief of the Indian Army was the Chief Gue
st and took the salute at the smart parade. Wing Cadet Captain, Ashok Datta comm
anded the Parade and Rodrigues (later Chief of the Army Staff) and MN Vasudeva (
later Rear Admiral) were the Ceremonial Stick Orderlies. As the teenage boys mar
ched smartly past the Saluting Base, one could see the firm markings of good sol
diers/sailors/aviators and officers in them .

Organisation of AFA and ISW/JSW

The Organisation of AFA and ISW is given in a form of a family tree.
(Please CLICK HERE to view the same).
The inter service ethos was imbibed in the Organisation of ISW. There was a Squa
dron (air force terminology), under it three Divisions (a naval terminology) and
each Division had three Sections (an army term).
In January 1949, to start with, there were only two squadrons; 'A'and 'B'. In Ju
ly 1949 when the Second Course joined, 'C' and 'D' Squadrons came in to being.

The Course
Photographs of First Course Cadets - Division wise as in Dec. 1950, when the Cou
rse passed out are given below. Under each photograph is a short pen picture wri
tten by JSW Instructors as given in the Souvenir prepared by them.
NO 1 DIVISION, A SQUADRON
NO 2 DIVISION, A SQUADRON
NO 3 DIVISION, A SQUADRON
NO 4 DIVISION, B SQUADRON
NO 5 DIVISION, B SQUADRON
NO 6 DIVISION, B SQUADRON
NO 7 DIVISION, C SQUADRON
NO 8 DIVISION, C SQUADRON
NO 9 DIVISION, C SQUADRON
NO 10 DIVISION, D SQUADRON
NO 11 DIVISION, D SQUADRON
NO 12 DIVISION, D SQUADRON

Army
The Army component of 1 st JSW' Course joined IMA Dehradun in Jan 1951, as the 10
th Regular Course, after passing out from Clement Town in Dec 1950, There were
132 of us from 1 st J' and 32 Direct Entry Cadets. The Direct Entry cadets were a
t a disadvantage in the beginning but most of them made good progress within a f
ew months and meshed in well with the JSW lot. This was a unique experiment in t
hat the Course comprised of two streams of intakes; ex JSW and Direct Entry. Thi
s signified epitome of unification and an experiment which proved successful and
is being followed till date.
Some of us had thoughts that since we had done two years training in JSW and the
senior most course in IMA, 7 th Regular Course had been there only 1 ½ years wher
e as 8 th and 9 th Courses even for lesser duration, that they would not have fu
ll authority over us, which senior courses normally exercised. This thought was
soon dispelled and the Senior Courses went after the 1 st JSW' Course with a veng
eance. The Direct Entry Cadets had to bear the onslaught too. However, no amount
of physical ragging could dampen the spirits of the 1 st JSW Course as we were
physically quite tough, with two years training in JSW! The Seniors soon realize
d the futility of their ragging and also recognized the high standards that the
Course displayed in sports and other out door activities. We were given our due
by them there after.
The training at IMA was tough but interesting. It was reverse of JSW ie more str
ess on military subjects and less on academics. Camps Chindit and Mountain Warfa
re were physically challenging but introduced us to the basic tactics and field
conditions. Col Guts and Blood Lt Col Bhaya Rajwade (later Maj Gen and GOC 7 Inf
antry Division) would invariably come to the Assault Course when we had gone ove
r it twice already and then announce in his typical Maratha accent, let's have co
mputition !! He was also very fond of boxing and keen to see blood flowing from n
oses and cuts on the faces of the boxers. Then there were instructors like Col R
anbir Bakshi, Lt Col SN Antia, Maj Zal Penty, Maj HS Bains, Vrc, Capt Alley, Cap
t Chowdhry, who were popular with the Course.
The Course acquitted itself very creditably during the two years at IMA and is r
egarded as one of the top courses to have passed out. As for sports, AS Malhi, B
rijender Chimni, Surendera Singh and Harbhajan in hockey, SK Dovedy, GK Sen and
PK Data in football, SSGarewal, Surendra Singh, HS Sodhi and Hasabnis in cricket
, SF Rodrigues, VP Yadav, AM Archer and GK Sen in boxing, RK Shahni, Inderjit Si
ngh, BK Laroia in tennis, BK Laroia, Ashok Datta, KD Issar and VK Madhok in squa
sh, DS Shekhawat, Madanjit, Harbhajan, Niranjan Khera in athletics, Brij Tewari,
Bhagat Singh, Mohinder Kahlon in basketball, NK Jaitley, Katkar, ML Kumar, NS K
hera, KS Pannu, JM Thapar, VP Yadav in swimming and Hanut, GC Gupta, Bahukhandi,
LB Sondhi, RK Ohri and Shivaji Sable in Polo stood out.
The time passed pretty fast and the most sought after day ie passing out arrived
. General KM Carriapa, the Chief of Army Staff took the salute at the Passing ou
t Parade on 28 Dec 1952 . Senior Under Officer Ashok Datta maintained his 1 st p
osition and was awarded the Gold Medal for being first in the order of merit (he
had also passed out first from JSW!!). JUO LP Sharma also maintained the second
position and was awarded the Silver Medal for being second in order of merit (h
aving passed out second from JSW as well). The coveted Sword of Honour for being
the best All Round Cadet was, however, won by SUO VP Yadav. Raj Rif Medal for t
actics was awarded to Vijay Madhok .
After commissioning, the young 2/Lts joined their respective battalions, regimen
ts and corps. Bhag Singh was the first fatality and unfortunately died in a road
accident in Mar 1953, while on way to his unit in J&K.
Some met during Courses of Instruction, others were posted at same stations, old
bonds cemented and new ones formed. The Course officers took part in all the wa
rs that the Indian Army fought after Jan 1953 and acquitted themselves creditabl
y.
GALLANTRY AWARDS
The following gallantry awards were won during operations:-
Maha Vir Chakra (MVC)
Lt Col Kulwant Singh Pannu (later Maj Gen) in 1971 War in Bangladesh , while le
ading his Battalion 2 Para during and after a Para Drop.
Lt Col RM Vohra (later Lt Gen) in 1971 War on the Western Front, while leading
4 Horse in Shakargarh Sector.
Lt Col Hanut Singh (later Lt Gen) in 1971 War on the Western Front, while leadi
ng 17 Horse in Shakargarh Sector.
Sena Medal
Lt Col Ashok Manglik in 1971 War while commanding 42 Field Regiment on the West
ern Front in Dera Baba Nanak Sector.
Lt Harish Bhatia (later Maj) in 1957 in Kupwara, for defusing an IED which blew
up and caused severe injuries to him.
Time passed, most got married, went on to do Staff College , Technical courses a
nd later NDC. A few were posted as military attaches and served abroad as well.
Others had chance to undergo courses abroad. During courses of instruction and i
n exercises the JSW spirit prevailed.
OFFICERS OF GENERAL RANK
The 1 st JSW/10 th IMA Course did well in service. It had the privilege of produ
cing-
a) One General- Chief of the Army Staff. General SF Rodrigues.
b) 11 Lt Generals
i) Army Commanders-2
Lt Gen RM Vohra
Lt Gen Gurinder Singh
ii) PSO 1 MGO- Lt Gen SK Bahri
iii) Heads of Arms
DG Arty Lt Gen Ashok Mangalik
E-in-C- Lt Gen YP Khurana
SO-in-C Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh
DGQA Lt Gen As Bhullar
DG Survey of India Lt Gen SM Chadha
Corps Commander Lt Gen Hanut Singh
Comdt MCTE Lt Gen SK Dovedy
Chief of Staff Command Lt Gen KLK Singh
c) 26 Maj Gens.
d) 25 Brigs.
HONOURS AND AWARDS
i) PVSM - 9 (Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh, Lt Gen SK Bahri, Gen SF Rodrigues, Lt Gen R
M Vohra, Lt Gen Gurinder Singh, Lt Gen AS Bhullar, Lt Gen Hanut Singh, Lt Gen As
hok Mangalik, Lt Gen YP Khurana).
ii) AVSM -11 (Brig SK Dey, Brig KD Issar, Maj Gen MM Rai, Lt Gen Gurinder Singh,
Lt Gen AS Bhullar, Maj Gen Nirmal Sondhi, Lt Gen SK Dovedy, Maj Gen VK Madhok,
Coll SP Anand, Col DS Shekhawat, Col BB Upreti).
iii) VSM -9 (Gen SF Rodrigues, Maj Gen BP Murgai, Lt Gen AS Bhullar, Maj Gen VK
Madhok, Col Tilak Raj Puri, Brig NS Khera, Maj Gen John Verghese, Maj Gen TV Man
oharan and Col BB Upreti).
This is indicative of the high level of professionalism and performance of the C
ourse, while in Service.
The Course has earned a very good name in the Army as also among the other two S
ervices and set very high standards and traditions, It has proved the value and
worth of Joint Services spirit during peace as well as war.
The Course has lost 50 of its members ex 1 st JSW) by Nov 2008; rather a high ra
te. The battle casualties have not been so many. Tilak Puri and Hasabnis were ta
ken POWs in 1962 War with China .
The Course has done well in the Corporate Sector after retirement. Inderjit in T
elecom, Guggi Vohra in manufacturing auto parts, Satish Bahri represented a fore
ign company, Harbhajan in exports with Tatas, Rajji Kanwar, BK Laroia and Surend
er Sarup in civil works abroad, Padamjit in garments and Ravi Virmani in busines
s. Brij Tewari has helped a company in Faridabad, Ajab Bhullar has specialised i
n ISO and SK Dovedy in Management. Atul Shivpuri had long stint in security in h
otels. YR Ratra took premature retirement and joined Air India and later the tra
vel business.
Tony Archer, KS Caveeshar, YK Sondhi and Madanjit have shifted abroad with Harbh
ajan also for a few years!
To cap the achievements of the Course Gen SF Rodrigues (Roddy) was appointed Gov
ernor of Punjab and Chief Administrator of Chandigarh in Nov 2004. Jean and Rodd
y occupy the prestigious Punjab Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh . This is a matter of g
reat honour and pride indeed for the 1st JSW Course

Navy

A short voyage from Bombay to Minicoy Island on board the Flagship of the Navy,
INS Delhi , during a Term break at JSW gave us a glimpse of the Navy and the sha
pe of things to come. On getting up one morning while sleeping on the quarter de
ck of the Ship in Bombay Harbour , everyone was bewildered when Taj Hotel on sho
re changed its position from starboard to port. (The tide had turned the anchore
d ship around).
25 joined the JSW for the Navy. Out of them 20 became Naval Officers. Details ar
e as under:-
A1 D.K. Ghosh - Commander, Salt Horse
A2 Mahendra Pratap - Captain(G)*
A3 R.S. Grewal VrC.NM - Commander (P)*
A4 R.N. Gulati - Commander, Salt Horse
A5 T.S. Khurana NM - Commodore
A6 J.N. Sukul PVSM, AVSM - Vice Admiral (L)
A7 R.P. Sawhney PVSM - Vice Admiral*
A8 S.K. Sharma VSM - Captain (S)*
A9 M.N. Vasudeva VSM, - Rear Admiral
A10 Suresh C. Aggarwal - Commodore (L)
A11 R.B. Rai (Changed over to Army in JSW)
A12 Ashok J.Madholkar (Changed over to Air Force in JSW
and later to Army)
A13 L.N. Ramdas PVSM, AVSM, VrC VSM - Admiral
A14 S.K. Bhalla AVSM , NM - Commodore (E)
A15 U.C. Tripathi NM - Commodore (O)
A16 Subhash C.Chopra PVSM, AVSM , NM - Vice Admiral
A17 N.C. Suri (Changed over to Air Force and
became Chief of the Air Staff)
A18 S.B.N. Singh PVSM, AVSM - Vice Admiral (L)*
A19 Hardev Singh NM Commander (O)
A20 R.K. Chaudhury NM, VSM - Commodore (G)
A21 S.C. Sachdev (Had to leave Service before the
Course left for UK )
A22 H.K.D. Madhok VSM - Commander At Arms (Provost)
A23 R.S. Sharma PVSM, AVSM, VSM - Vice Admiral (S)
A24 B.S. Chimni (Changed over to Air Force and then
Army) - Brigadier*
25 B.S. Anand - Commodore (S)
Note:- * Expired
After passing out from JSW, we found ourselves at a loose end as the term at Dar
tmouth , England was to commence in May 1951 and where as we were ready to go in
January 51. So we were bundled off to Cochin to acquire some Naval spit and poli
sh' and shed our habit of stamping our feet a` la JSW. Here we remained under th
e very able stewardship of Lt Russi Gandhi, one time Flag Lieutenant of Lord Mou
ntbatten and ending his career as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, after retiring f
rom the Navy as Vice Admiral.
On the morning of 17 th March 1951, our coffin like' metallic trunks (only 16, as
three Electrical cadets: SBN, Shukul and Suresh Chandra, as also the Supply Bra
nch Cadet Radhey were to come later), were hoisted aboard the P & O liner SS Str
athaid at Bombay and we trooped in thereafter. After nearly a month's memorable
voyage, we landed in Tilbury, London, straight in the hands of our wet nurse, Lt
Cdr Nagarkar, who took great pains to introduce us to the toiletry habits of Go
ra Sahibs so that we would not offend our land ladies. In London , we had a twen
ty days' jolly and savoured our travels in the Tube' and ride on the escalators,
in those days a great novelty for us.
Our Term at Dartmouth lasted from May to August 1951. This beautiful Alma Mater'
of the Royal Navy is situated on a sloping hill on the mouth of River Dart in th
e South western corner of England . However, we were kept apart from the regular
British Naval cadets who had joined at the age of 13. But we did have a sprinkl
ing of those from the Commonwealth countries. Ours was called Benbow Division'. E
mphasis here was laid on seamanship and navigation, and particularly sailing.
When Admiral of the Fleet Lord Louis Mountbatten visited Dartmouth , the Indian
cadets adorned the entire Front rank of the Guard of Honour, on merit, as we wer
e by far the smartest cadets on board.

On to HMS Devonshire, the three funnelled Training Cruiser, we were to mingle wi

th the regular cadets of the Royal Navy, popularly called the Darts'. The ship un
dertook the Autumn Cruise to the Mediterranean ports like Gibraltar , Syracuse (
Sicily ), Sorrento (off Naples ), Malta , Rhode Island of Greece etc. Here we w
ere taught to undertake all the chores of a sailor as well as class room instruc
tions for professional subjects in running a warship.
This cruise lasted from end Sep to Dec 1951 and then after a brief break, the wi
nter cruise (end Jan 52 to end March 52) took us to the West Indies, where we we
re to visit ports, home to rum and coca cola' and steel bands' such as Port of Spa
in in Trinidad, Grenada, St Lucia, Antigua, British Virgin Island and Bermuda et
c.
May 52 saw us returning to India on board SS Circassia of Anchor Line, another g
rand holiday on board for over three weeks. Also on First May we were promoted t
o the rank of Midshipman, a strange rank that hung between a sailor and an offic
er. We joined INS Tir, the very first Training Frigate of the Navy and us the ve
ry first trainees. No seniors, what a joy!
Now we were only thirteen, as Bhalla, the Engineering Cadet, Begum Sharma, Andy
Anand and Radhey Sharma supply Branch cadets stayed back in the UK . Lucky ones!

We remained in INS Tir for only 8 months as midshipmen. Thereafter we were distr
ibuted amongst various ships of the Fleet for another 8 months. Ravi Sawhney, Re
ggie Gulati and Dilip Ghosh were lucky ones, as their ship INS Ranjit, under the
command of Cdr S M Nanda (later to become CNS), was dispatched to the UK to rep
resent India at the Spithead Review for the Coronation of the Queen in June 1953
. The others undertook the Mediterranean Cruise with the rest of the Fleet, visi
ting exotic places such as Malta, Naples, Dubrovnik and Split in Yugoslavia, Cor
fu etc.
On First of September, 1953 we received our first stripe and became Sub-Lieutena
nts or subbies'. Then after serving in various ships the Thirteen' returned to the
UK by yet another liner. This time we really beat it up and painted the town re
d as the saying goes. We reached Royal Naval College at Greenwich ( London ) in
Dec 1953 and stayed
on in the UK till May 1955. Perhaps this was the happiest time of our training.
It was here that some acquired motor cycles and cars (of course, ancient museum
pieces). Some ventured out to the Continent hitch hiking, others just cycling in
the UK .
After Greenwich we spent a few months doing courses in the Naval professional su
bjects like gunnery, navigation and direction, communications, NBCD, torpedo and
anti-submarine, submarine, naval aviation etc. These took us around the Souther
n Coast of Britain where these professional schools were located. This was no bee
r and skittle affair', as our seniority in the Service depended on the outcome o
f these courses. So everyone had to keep their noses to the grindstone.
Once again we were on board another liner to go back home. Being summer, many a
romance by our naval Romeos blossomed on board SS Cilicia, another Anchor Line s
hip. On arriving at Port Said we were informed that we had to go to Cairo to awa
it the arrival of our Fleet as there had been a collision between two ships and
the fleet had returned to Bombay for repairs. So we beat it up in Cairo for arou
nd a fortnight. Flush with money and staying in one of the top hotels of Cairo (
all paid for) we could afford to enjoy the nightlife of this beautiful city. We
were also lionized by the Egyptian Military as it was the beginning of the era o
f Nehru-Nasser friendship and World Military games were in progress then.
On return, four of the 1 st ; Garry Grewal, Chops Chopra, Harry Hardev and Joe T
ripathi went to the Air Force Flying College at Jodhpur . A year later, two (Cho
ps and Garewal) were inducted as pilots in the Fleet Air Arm as Pilots and a thi
rd opted to become an Observer
A few years later, Vasudev joined the Submarine Arm of the Navy. Dilip Ghosh and
Reggie Gulati opted to remain salt horses'. Ravi Sawhney and Ranjit Chaudhury sp
ecialized in Gunnery, Ramu Ramdas and Mahendra Pratap in Communications, Lochi K
hurana and Vasu in Navigation and Harry Madhok joined the Naval Provost Branch.
Our friends in the Electrical' Branch spent a total of seven years in the UK, sta
rting with Dartmouth, Devonshire, University of Durham (three and a half years t
o obtain a degree in Bachelor of Electrical Engineering) and another two years i
n Collingwood and other RN Establishments and ships before joining INS Vikrant b
eing readied in the UK.
S K Bhalla the lone Marine Engineering officer followed the same routine as othe
rs i.e. RNC, Dartmouth , HMS Devonshire and 16 months at sea as midshipman on bo
ard RN ships before joining Royal Naval Engineering College , HMS Thunderer for
a two year basic engineering course. In 1955 he returned to India as a confirmed
Sub-Lieutenant (E) for Sea Watch Competency Certificate. He went back to UK as
a Lieutenant for specialist engineering course at HMS Manadon till end 1956. The
reafter he returned to India as part of the Ships Company of the newly acquired
INS Mysore , the Flagship of the Indian Fleet.
Three cadets who opted for the Logistics cadre also followed similar training pa
ttern as rest. They had also stayed back in the UK and did their professional co
urses and stints in RN Naval Establishment. T hey were sent to an Aircraft Carri
er or a large Cruiser of the Royal Navy. They also spent some time on board Nava
l Air Stations in Malta and in UK , before rejoining their parent course at Gree
nwich for the Junior Staff Course . On returning to India , they joined INS Haml
a, for conversion courses, to bring them back to Indian logistics stream.
In the peak of their careers , Admiral LN Ramdas rose to the dizzy heights to be
come the Chief of Naval Staff. He along with VADMs S C Chopra and RP Sawhney com
manded the three Naval Commands. Operationally both VADM Chopra and Ramdas comma
nded the Western and Eastern Fleets, respectively whilst VADMs RP Sawhney was in
command at Port Blair.
VADMs SBN Singh and JN Sukul headed the Material Branch and VADM RS Sharma heade
d the Logistics branch.
Ravi Sawhney became the first ever Commandant of NDA (JSW) from the 1 st Course.
It was during his tenure that Queen Elizabeth II visited the NDA.
On retirement or premature retirement six joined the Merchant Navy. Among these
Reggie Gulati served the longest, for over 17 years. SBN served as a consultant
to the newly constructed Port of Pipavav and Ranjit Chaudhuri as an Administrato
r of National Performing Arts.
Ravi Sawhney served as the Chairman and Managing Director of Jawaharlal Nehru Po
rt, off Bombay .
The "1 st JSW" Course was considered the finest course of young cadets which join
ed the Indian Navy in all its history. It produced one four star Admiral, five t
hree star Vice Admirals, one two star Rear Admiral, and six one star Commodores.
Sixty Five percent of the cadets reached the enviable Flag Rank from the Naval
Contingent. Of the remaining seven two became Captains and five retired as Comma
nders.
The Course also won two Veer Chakras and seven Navy Medals in the 1971 Indo-Pak
War. Six officers were awarded PVSM, six AVSMs and six VSMs, for highly distingu
ished and dedicated service in the Navy.
The 1 st JSW Course set very high standards indeed for generations of NDA cadets
to emulate!!
Alas, as on 15 Nov 2008 , six are no more with us. May their souls rest in peace
.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~
Kind courtesy Reggie Gulati and Chops Chopra

Air Force

On 2 Jan 1951 , 20 cadets from JSW (NDA) as per list given below, reported at Ai
r Force Academy Jodhpur for training. They joined the 57 th Pilots Course, which
had commenced training w e f 01 Sep 1950 . In addition to cadets from JSW, 57th
course comprised of cadets who had already obtained Flying License in civil lif
e and some direct entry cadets .
A/167
OP Kukreja (Kuki) VSM Group Capt
A/12
Ashok Janardhan-Mudholkar * @
A/17
Nirmal Chandra-Suri, (Nimmi) PVSM, AVSM, VM Air Chief Marshal
A/170
JK Bhalla (Dopey) @
A/171
Prem Prakash-Avasthi (Avasthi) @
A/172
Prabhakar Jaywant- Jakatdar (Bow Wow) Group Captain *
A/173
Krishan Chandra-Misra (Kalu) Group Capt *
A/174
S Balasubra mani an , (Bala) Plt.Offr *

A/175
Shib Charan Singh(Shibu) Sqn Ldr *
A/176
Chaman Lal Gupta (Chottu) Wing Cdr
A/177
Jagdish Chandra- Verma (Jagdish) Wing Cdr *
A/178
ManoranjanMukherjee (Mukho) Flg Officer
A/179
Prakash Dev Dogra (Pashi) Air Cmde.
A/180
Dalbir Yadav (Dolly) Group Captain *
A/24
Brijinder Singh -Chimni (Bhotu) Brigadier *
A/183
Bir Ramindr Singh-Bindra Fg.Offr *
A/185
Amitava Lahiri (Tich) FG Offr *
A/186
Prem Chander Dube (Prem) Brig. *
A/187
Sunandan Roy (Shu) Wing Cdr *
A/188
Didar Singh Sabhikhi (Didar) AVSM Air Marshal

Note:- * Expired
@ Withdrawn during training
Before the start of Flying, A 24 Cadet BS Chimni was sent to Indian Military Aca
demy Dehradun on medical grounds and he was commissioned in the Armoured Corps.
Retired as Brigadier.
FLYING TRAINING
The Basic Stage Flying training was on Tiger Moths and very adventurous indeed.
However, five Course mates namely A/174 S Balasubramanian, A/12 AJ Mudholkar, A/
170 JK Bhalla, A/171 PP Avasthi and A/178 M Mukherjee did not make the grade to
the Advance Stage on Harvard Aircraft.
Before the Advance Stage commenced, A167 OP Kukreja and A176 CL Gupta along with
12 odd Direct Entry cadets were sent to No 1 AFA Begumpet, as spare capacity fo
r flying training existed there.
During the Advance Stage, A186 PC Dubey was sent to the Indian Military Academy
, A167 OP Kukreja and A188 Didar Singh Sabhiki to Navigator stream.
A176 CL Gupta was the first officer amongst the three Services to be commissione
d from Begumpet on15 Feb 1952.
57 th Pilots Course got their commissions on 15 Mar 1952 . Eight Pilots namely,
A17 NC Suri, A172 PJ Jakatdar, A175 Shib Charan Singh, A179 PD Dogra, A180 Dalbi
r Yadav, A183 BR Singh Bindra, A185 A Lahiri and A187 Sunandan Roy joined the Fi
ghter Stream and, three A176 CL Gupta, A173 KC Misra and A177 JC Verma entered t
he Transport Stream.
NAV STREAM
Balasubramanian was the first cadet to join the 5 th NAV Course in July 1951 and
was commissioned in Jun 1952. Didar Sabhiki and OP Kukreja joined 6 th NAV Cour
se on 6 Feb 1951 . Didar Singh Sabhiki was awarded the Sword of Honour for the b
est all round Cadet and OP Kukreja the Ground Trophy during the Passing out Para
de.
A178 M Mukherjee was commissioned in the Admin ATC stream and took premature ret
irement as A Flg Offr
A-12 AJ Mudholkar, A/170 JK Bhalla, A/171 PP Avasthi were withdrawn during the t
raining
FATALITIES
Bala was the first officer to die in an air crash in a Dakota Aircraft in the Ea
stern Sector, on 17 Jan 1953 . Lahri died in air crash in a Vampire aircraft due
to bird hit at Kanpur in Jun.1953. Bindra died in spitfire while doing range wo
rk in Jam Nagar in Oct 1954.
CAREER PROFILE
Out 20 Cadets who joined Air force, fifteen were commissioned (11 Pilots, three
Navigators and one Admin officer).
The Course had the proud privilege of having (A/17) Nimmi Suri, as the Air Chief
. He was originally selected for the Navy but then joined the Air Force. (A/188)
Didar Singh Sabhiki became Air Marshal and was Commandant of the Alma mater (ND
A). (A/179) PD Dogra became Air Cmde. Four; (A/180) Dolly Yadav, (A/172) PJ Jaka
tdar, (A/167) OP Kukreja and (A/173) KC Misra attained the rank of Group Captain
.
Wg. Cdr CL Gupta and Sqn Ldr.) SC Singh were seconded to Air India where they re
tired as Chief of Operations.
The ex NDA Officers acquitted themselves creditably. They participated in 1962,
1965 and 1971 Wars and carried out various missions like Strat Recce, Interdicti
on, Air Defence, Close support and Offensive Ops
PD Dogra and Didar were the leaders of Indian Experts to UAR now Egypt and Nimmi
Suri was leader in Iraq .
HONOUS AND AWARDS
Air Chief Marshal NC Suri was awarded PVSM, AVSM, VM. Air Marshal Didar Singh Sa
bhiki, AVSM and Group Captain OP Kukreja VSM.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~
Kind Courtesy - Didar Sabhiki

Honours and Awards

Following were the first recipients of honours and awards at the Passing out Par
ade:-

Winner of the President's Gold Medal (Best all round Cadet)

A/26, Wing Cadet Captain Ashok Datta.

Winner of the Silver Medal (2 nd Best all round Cadet)

A/29, Senior Cadet Captain LB Sondhi.

Winner of the Bronze Medal (1st in Order of Merit in Service

Subjects) A/28, Cadet Captain SK Dey.

Winner of the Silver Medal (1 st in Order of Merit in Academic Subjects) A/49, C

adet LP Sharma. End and Means

Pinnacle of Success
General SF Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM Chief of the Army Staff
(1 July 90-30 Sept 93)
Admiral L Ramdas, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM
Chief of Naval Staff
(30 Nov 90-30 Sept 93)
Air Chief Marshal NC Suri, PVSM, AVSM, VM
Chief of the Air Staff
(01 Aug 91 - 30 Sept 93)

Remembrance
May Thety Rest in Peace
ARMY
1. Anthony Anandan Raj Francis
2. Ashok J Madholkar
3. Avinash Chandra Mohan
4. Ajay Narayan Sapru
5. Avtar Singh Bawa
6. Ashoke Datta
7. Balwant Singh
8. Bhag Singh Bal
9. BK Laroia
10. Bratpal Bhandari
11. Brijinder Nath Kaul
12. Brijinder Singh Chimni
13. Daljit Singh Sukharchakya
14. Godanda Chittanna Muthan Na
15. Gurcharan Singh
16. Jaswant Dattajirao Katkar
17. Jagdish Mitter Sabharwal
18. John Verghese
19. KLK Singh
20.Kuldip Singh
21. Kulwant Singh Pannu
22. Lokendra Bhagat Sondhi
23. Malik Satish Chandra
24. Narendra Kumar Bharadwaj
25. Nirmal Sondhi
26. Onkar Singh
27. PC Dubey
28. PD Joshi
29. PL Kukreti
30. Pranab Kumar Datta .
31. Pranap Krishna Tankha
32. Pratap Singh
33. Prem Krishan Kaul
34. Ravi Khanna
35. Rajaratna Bangara
36. Rajinder Jit Singh Sekhon
37. Rajendra Kumar Ohri
38. Raj Kumar Shahani
39. Ranbir Singh Thapar
40. RS Nandal
41. Sitangshu Bhushan Banerji
42. Shamsher Singh
43. Sharwan Kumar
44. Sultan Mul Charupa
45. Satya Pal Tandon
46. Shyam Sunder Shukul
47. Surendra Singh
48. Umesh Kumar Saxena
49. Vijay Singh-D-Khanvilkar
50 . Yash Pal Malhotra
 NAVY
1. Mahendra Pratap
2. RS Grewal
3. RP Sawhney
4. SK Sharma
5. SBN Singh
AIR FORCE
1. Amitava Lahiri
2. Bir Raminder Singh Bindra
3. JC Verma
4. KC Misra
5. M M Mukherjee
6. S Balasubramanian
7. Shivcaharn Singh
8. Sunandan Roy

An Ode to 1st Course

We are the Children of NDA, By Commander R N Gulati
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~
In Jan 49 joined the two hundred,
In Clement Town , all their khakis laundered,
Eventually in other colours too,
Like white and blue,
We are the children of NDA.
We dug many a flower bed,
We trod on newly made quarter deck,
We shined our boots light,
We scrubbed our faces bright,
We are the children of NDA.
They drilled us till our legs were blue,
They schooled us till our eyes became red in hue,
They patti-paraded us till our limbs ached,
They molded us again and again till we were made,
We are the children of NDA.
To Kashmir in summer we went,
To Minicoy in slumber we were sent,
To wings you take, said the boss,
During the break it was,
We are the children of NDA.
We did many naughty things,
Smoked, missed classes, shamming, and had other flings,
Went to areas out of bounds,
Some time we acted as clowns,
We are the children of NDA.
They said JSW was our name,
Changed to AFA, they said it was same,
To give it yet another name,
Was it a game?
Yes, NDA it finally became,
We are the children of NDA.
Professionally we were very sound,
Again and again we did NDA and the Nation proud,
In games and sports the first position we often found,
All have said, the finest was the First course,
Humbly we should accept this verdict of course,
We are the children of NDA.
We did long stints in forces,
In the Army, Navy and Air Forces,
Became Generals, Admirals and Air Marshalls,
Fought bravely in many wars,
Till our chests were full with medals, stars and bars,
We are the children of NDA.
Now that our hair has greyed,
Hearing faded, eyes dimmed and collars frayed,
We look out for new buds,
Green bushes and fresh bloods,
To carry on the tradition,
Of Alma mater' in all situation,
We are the children of NDA.
Here's to you Putsy, Didar, Chops and Harry,
Here's to you Vijay, Dovedy, Ravi and Garry,
Here's to you Tich, Nimmi, Ramu and Roddy,
Here's to the rest of the unnamed majority,
We are the children of NDA.
Here's to the ladies behind all these men,
Here's to those who are in bloomin' Heaven,
Here's to all who taught, guided and us disciplined,
Here's to NDA and generations to come,
We clink our glasses and raise a toast,
It is not an empty boast,
We are the children

Photo Gallery
Principal Mr. J T M Gibson
The Mast
Inauguration of JSW by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - 4 Jun 1949
R.I.A.F Ensign and Emblems presented by Air Marshal Ivelaw-Chapman, Air Chief
(Left to Right-Cadet Capt SK Dey, Air Chief, Maj Gen Thimmaya Commandant, Capt R
eggie Sawhney Dy Comdt, Capt Pathania Adjt)
Passing out Parade - 8 Dec. 1950, Gen. K.M. Carippa taking the Salute
(Left to right-Maj Gen Thimayya Commandant, ADC to the Army Chief, Gen Cariappa
Army Chief, Capt Regiie Sawhney Dy Cmdt, Capt Pathania Adjt, Saluting-Sharwan Ku
mar, Hemi Bhagat, GS Sood, Dalbir Yadav)
Passing out Parade
NDA Building, Khadakvasla
The AFA and JSW Crests put up on the gate of the Hut of Remembrance at NDA, pres
ented by the 1st Course during Diamond Jubilee Celebrations on 7 Dec 2008
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Harbhajan, Shivcharan and Yati
Relaxing together
Camp Green Horn,
Raiwala Mar-1949
Manglik, Dogra, Harbhajan, Bawa
Dehradun Railway Station - Jun 1949
Going for First Term Break
( Left to Right - Bhandari, Bahri, Dovedy, Shamsher, Chhotu Gupta, Mahender Prat
ap, Harbhajan, Mr. Wanchoo, Indu Prakash, Kanwar,
Bhagat Singh, Inderjit, Didar Sabhiki, Malhi )
Watan Ki Rah Mein - Watan Ke Naujawan Shaheed Hon
( Left to Right - Chimni, Ashok Manglik, SBN Singh, Saxsena,
Harbhajan, YK Sondhi, VP Yadav )

Pinnacle of success Photos

General SF Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM Chief of the Army Staff
(1 July 90-30 Sept 93)
Admiral L Ramdas, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM
Chief of Naval Staff
(30 Nov 90-30 Sept 93)
Air Chief Marshal NC Suri, PVSM, AVSM, VM
Chief of the Air Staff
(01 Aug 91 - 30 Sept 93)