‘Realising late hubby’s dream’: Ladakh woman, Punjab teacher set to become Army officers

CHENNAI: Among the 151 gentlemen cadets and 35 woman cadets who passed out of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on Saturday was a widow who will be Indian Army's first woman officer from Ladakh region. Rigzin Chorol, who had lost her husband, — a rifleman in the Zedang Sumpa battalion of Ladakh Scouts — was commissioned as an Army officer. Rigzin Khandap had died in a tragedy while on duty.
“My husband was in Ladakh Scouts and wanted to be an Army officer. I wanted to join the Army after the tragedy because he wanted me to join the army. This is like realising his dream,” Chorol said. An economics graduate, she wanted to be in the Army to offer her child a proud environment. “I missed 11 months of my son's childhood. But I am sure that my husband will be proud,” she said, holding her child.After her decision to join the Army was revealed, senior officers of the Army's Northern Command had met and encouraged her. A social media handle of an Army corps had posted in December 2021: “We congratulate Mrs Rigzin Chorol (#VeerNari of Rfn Rigzin Khandap) of ZedangSumpaBattalion, who has become an example of determination in Ladakh. She will be soon joining OTA, Chennai, to be the first Ladakhi woman officer of #IA.”
Harveen Kaur Kahlon was a teacher in a private school in Jalandhar when her husband, Captain Kanwalpal Singh Kahlon, died. “My husband had encouraged my zeal to join the Army. I wanted to realise his dream.” Among the other cadets were a Supreme Court lawyer and two siblings who left their IT jobs. Rudraksha Singh Rajpurohit, who was practising law in the Supreme Court, left it to be in the Army as he was inspired by his grandfather, who was a subedar in the Army's ordnance wing.There were 28 women cadets and eight gentlemen cadets from other countries, including Nigeria. Emmanuel, who was among the two cadets from Nigeria, said “I was in an academy in Nigeria and have come to complete the training here.” Royal Bhutan Army chief operating officer Lt Gen Batoo Tshering, who reviewed the parade, said Army officers need to be abreast with disruptive technology, robotics, hypersonic weapons, biotechnology and other areas as those are going to have an impact on human environment.