| Officers Training Academy | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Serve with Honour |
| Established | January 15, 1963 |
| Type | Military Academy |
| Location | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Campus | 750 acres (3.0 km2) |
| Affiliations | Jawaharlal Nehru University |
The Officers Training Academy, Chennai (OTA) is a training establishment of the Indian Army that trains officers for the Short Service Commission. The 10 month course at the OTA prepares graduates for the Technical branches of the Army.[1] Established on 15 January 1963, the academy is spread over 750 acres (3.0 km2) about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Chennai, India.
Seven Officers Training Schools were established in India between 1942-45 to meet the huge demand for officers to serve in the Indian and Commonwealth Armies during World War II. However, these schools were closed down at the end of the war.
In 1962, following the Sino-Indian War, India identified the need to expand the number of officers for effective operations. Two Officers Training Schools (OTS) were established in Pune and Madras (now known as Chennai) to train officers for Emergency Commission into the Army. The process of establishing the schools was begun in September 1962. The Chennai school was inaugurated on 15 January 1963, with Brigadier Ram Singh as its first Commandant. The Pune school had a short run and was closed in 1964. However, the school in Chennai continued to operate and on 2 February 1965, it obtained the sanction to shift focus to train officers for the Short Service Regular Commission.
The Short Service Regular Commission has evolved into the Short Service Commission, and the OTS has continued to train officers for these commissions. The school was granted permanent status in 1985. On 1 January 1988, the school was renamed as the Officers Training Academy (OTA), at par with the NDA and IMA.
The first batch of 25 women to be commissioned as officers into the Army, were trained at the OTA with training commencing on 21 September 1992.[2]
The alumni of the OTA have won numerous honours and gallantry awards.
Major Ramaswamy Parameshwaran, 8 Mahar, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest honor for gallantry, during Operation Pawan. Lieutenant Rajeev Sandhu was also posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra during Operation Pawan.
Other famous OTA alumni include Second Lieutenant S.S. Samra and Major KS Chandpuri who were awarded Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Major Jasram Singh and Capt J.S. Raina were awarded the Ashok Chakra during counter insurgency operations in the northeast. Major K.G. Chatterjee won the Maha Vir Chakra in Siachen. Second Lieutenant C.A. Pithawalla was awarded the Ashok Chakra for counter-insurgency operations.
Four OTA alumni were awarded the Maha Vir Chakra during the Kargil war. These included Major Padmapani Acharya (Posthumous), Lieutenant Balwan Singh, Major Sonam Wang Chuk and Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum (Posthumous).