Among the 253 military officers commissioned into the Indian Army recently after a passing-out parade at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya, Bihar, following the completion of the Short Service Commission (Technical) course, is 27-year-old Shardendu Tiwari.
What makes his decision to join the force special is the fact that he quit a job as a cloud engineer with an annual pay of around ₹46 lakh at Amazon before joining the Officers Training Academy.
According to media reports, Tiwari, a second-generation soldier, left his corporate career and a possible job opportunity with Airbus before joining the Indian Army through the Technical Entry Scheme. Choosing the technical entry route would mean that he will serve the Indian Army in a field related to technology.
He is the son of Honorary Captain Raj Kumar Tiwari, who served in the Army Service Corps for 36 years until his retirement.
After completing his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Chandimandir, Haryana, he went on to complete his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Information Technology and later did an MTech in Computer Science and Information Security from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, according to the TOI report.
Tiwari, who grew up in Lucknow, had appeared for Army selection as many as eight times before succeeding.
Army Training Command in a tweet called his achievement an "unstoppable journey".
"Hailing from Lucknow, Shardendu Tiwari inherited the spirit of service from his father, an Army Service Corps veteran who served for 36 years and retired as an Honorary Captain," the tweet said.
The tweet further said, "Shardendu, a brilliant student from Kendriya Vidyalaya and PEC Chandigarh, built a successful career as a Cloud Engineer at Amazon and was later selected by Airbus," adding, "Yet, the call of the uniform and dream of following his father's footsteps remained stronger than corporate success he had achieved. Leaving behind a lucrative career, he chose the harder path of donning the Olive Greens. At OTA Gaya, his grit and leadership earned him the prestigious appointment of Senior Under Officer."
"I was also drawn to the armed forces because of the opportunities they offer for adventure and field service,” he had been quoted as saying.
As many as 218 men and 35 women were among the 253 military officers who joined the Army after completing the course.
