Bhupal Vasant Wagh is a dabbawalla and Krishnant Gholap is the son of an autorickshaw driver. Both are first generation aspirants and among the small yet steady band of GenNext opting for the armed forces.
Youths from all walks of life are joining the army to serve the nationPUNE: Bhupal Vasant Wagh is a dabbawalla and Krishnant Gholap is the son of an autorickshaw driver. Both are first generation aspirants and among the small yet steady band of GenNext opting for the armed forces.
They are two among many officer-recruits coming to the defence academy from non-military backgrounds, from semi-urban and even rural areas. As many as 70% of 16 and 17-year-olds entering the National Defence Academy are first generation recruits, said officials.
“Till a few years ago, the academy had a substantial representation of second, third and even fourth generation cadets,” a senior official said. Of the 1,817 cadets at the academy, 22% came from a military background.
Institutes training students for careers in the armed forces too feel first-timers are coming. Commander (retired) PK Banerjee, a faculty member at Apex Careers said many preferred other careers.
“Earlier, the pride in donning the uniform and serving the nation held immense attraction. This is no longer the case. Hence, there has been a marked decline in the number of candidates with a defence service background following their fathers,” said Banerjee.
Only about 10%of the current aspirants are wards of officers while another 20% are those of junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and other ranks (ORs), according to Lt Col. (retired) Pradeep Brahmankar, who runs Apex Careers.
“The strong element of pride in the uniform and carrying forward the family tradition is declining. Wards are now overwhelmingly opting for careers in IT, banking and management,” Brahmankar said.
The gap, he added, has created opportunities for meritorious first-generation aspirants. No longer do Punjab, Haryana and Delhi dominate, say NDA officials.“Instead, young people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttaranchal and Madhya Pradesh are joining and many are from non-military backgrounds, semi-urban and even rural areas,” former NDA commandant Lt Gen A K Chopra said.
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