UP siblings march out of Chennai's OTA in style

CHENNAI: Growing up remote village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah, the sister-brother duo of Mansi Dixit and Priyanshu Dixit were always a team. From travelling 15 km to school together to backing each other in academics, they always did things in tandem.

But little did they know that they would one day go on to serve in the Army, passing out of the OTA on the same day.The siblings, who marched in unison on Saturday, are the first from their village to become officers in the army. Speaking to reporter, they said though the training was gruelling, it felt like home as they had each other's backs.“It was my brother who inspired me to get into the armed forces, nudging me to give SSB (Services Selection Board) a try.

The training was a fun experience as we looked out for each other. I was recommended for the academy five times, and joined this time as I got my brother as my coursemate,” Mansi, 25, the elder sibling who pursued LLB from Delhi University, said.She is set to join the aviation regiment.“Both of us were motivated by our father, who was an RDC cadet. He worked hard for us all his life, waking up as early as 4 am every day to drive us to tuitions.

We are making him proud today. It is a matter of pride and privilege for me to receive training alongside my sister to serve this beautiful country,” said Priyanshu, 23, who pursued BSc mathematics (hons).He is set to join the infantry Sikh regiment.“I feel complete realising that my children achieved my dreams. When I was a student, I was also an NCC student. I wanted to join the forces too. I was selected too, but I was medically unfit. Though I couldn’t fulfil my dream, I feel proud that my children got into the army,” Vijender Bahadur Dixit, the siblings’ father, said.