Sainik School, Hamirpur, grooms 421 Army officers

Dinesh Kanwar

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Keeping alive the tradition of producing valiant soldiers and officers like Capt Vikram Batra, Capt Saurabh Kalia and Capt Amol Kalia whose memory is etched in the minds of the nation, Sainik School, Sujanpur Tihra in Hamirpur district has done the state proud.

Set up with the objective of fulfilling the need to prepare youth to serve in the armed forces, Sainik School has done exceptionally well. Despite being located in the extreme north of the country, the school holds the second position amongst a total of 27 Sainik schools in the country in grooming 421 Army officers, who made it to the National Defence Academy (NDA), Kharagwasla, since it was set up. The first position in sending the highest number of its 600 students to the NDA is held by Sainik School, Ghora Khaal. 

This year as many as 16 students of the school have succeeded in joining the NDA. In its four-decade long journey, the school has emerged as a premier institute with students having Capt Vikram Batra as their role model. 

Himachal has the honour of producing the best Army officers with several of them having been honoured with the highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. In fact, the first PVC recipient of the country was Major Som Nath Sharma, who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation at a very young age. His brother General VK Sharma later rose to become the Chief of Army Staff.

Many districts like Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Kangra and Una  are still referred to as “money order economy” because of the large number of serving and retired Army and paramilitary forces who used  to send money orders back home to their families. “The school grooms students for taking up the challenges of a gruelling life in the Army,” remarked. Lt Col Dharmander Singh (retd), an alumnus of the school.

Similar sentiments are echoed by Col Vishal Guleria. “The school inculcates discipline and confidence among its students which is a pre-requisite for being an Army officer,” he says, adding that the time spent in the school is memorable.

Sainik School, Sujanpur Tihra, was the 18th establishment in a chain of 27 Sainik schools spread across the country. The foundation stone of the school was laid by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974 and was inaugurated by President Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy on November 2, 1978. The campus of Sainik School is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructural facilities.

The Principal of the school, Group Captain Amit Paul said the mission of the school was to produce good human beings with strong character and to ensure that the country`s safety and sovereignty is in safe hands. 

Headmaster Wing Commander Jaskaran Singh Parmar, who has international experience of serving in various countries, says that the school is fulfilling the mission to produce good human beings.

The number of its alumni excelling in different fields is an indicator of Sainik School’s remarkable contribution towards its mission.