CHENNAI: It was perhaps the happiest Teachers’ Day for Dashrath Singh Rathore, a teacher from Sindarli village in Rajasthan’s Pali district as his daughter, Shivani Rathore , 25, passed out of the Officer’s Training Academy in Chennai on Saturday. Asked why his daughter chose the Army and became the first person in their family to become an Army officer, Dashrath’s answer was simple: “It’s her choice. It was not my part to restrict her. I have given my daughter to the country now.”For Dashrath and his wife Kailash Kanwar, letting their daughter make her own career choice has now brought home the first Army officer in the family.For M R Raswanth, 23, from Theni, the decision to join the Army came after he had begun preparing for the civil services examination. He is the first Army officer in his family. “When he was preparing for the IAS, one day he decided that he wanted to become an Army man. We never questioned why. We told him that whatever he decided, we would stand by him. Today, he is here,” Ramesh said. His mother, Anandhi R, is a defence senior auditor, and his grandmother, Jothi Mani, is a retired teacher who played an important role in raising him.At the passing-out parade, several families spoke of giving their children the freedom to choose their careers and watching them return as Army officers.Rohit Chaudhary, 23, from Agra, was introduced to the military through the National Cadet Corps (NCC). He is the second officer in his family, after his cousin. His father, Ajeet C, an ex-Air Force personnel, said, “In words, I cannot tell you. This is the happiest day of my life as a father.”Stanzin Tsangyang, 24, from Ladakh, became the first woman from Zanskar to be commissioned as an Army officer and the first woman from Kargil district to wear the uniform. Her brother Stanzin Thosam, 28, said her interest in the military began during her college years after she joined the NCC. What started as an interest eventually became a career.For Prasanth Gurung, 25, from Dehradun, the choice came with a family legacy. He is the fourth generation in his family to become an Army officer.
