Divya, first woman to be awarded 'Sword of Honour'

Chennai, Sep 18: A 21-year-old youngster from Chennai has written her name in a fresh page of Indian histrory by becoming the first woman to be conferred by the Army with the coveted 'Sword of Honour'.

The 'Sword of Honour' awared to the best all-round cadet annually at the passing out parade after 49 weeks of gruelling training has been bagged by men year after year.

This tiring trend was changed by Divya Ajith Kumar, who on Saturday, Sep 18 received the Sword of Honour on at the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in her home town.

The BCom graduate from Chennai beat nearly 230 other cadets, including 70 female peers to pocket the highest award given to a cadet of the OTA.

"She has come out on top in the overall merit list. She has outsmarted all others," OTA spokesman Major R K Choudhary told BBC.

Speaking to the media on her achievement, Divya said that she had always planned to become a civil servant.

"My choice was to join any kind of service. It would have civil services, if not the Army, my parents knew I would take up, something in the uniform," Divya is quoted as saying in media reports.

Divya's feat comes as a huge boost to women in Indian defence system, where they still struggle to be treated equally.

OneIndia News