Duo from Kerala to join NDA’s first batch of women cadets

KOCHI: With National Defence Academy (NDA), the joint defence service training institute of Indian Armed Forces, set to welcome its first batch of women cadets, there are two girls from Kerala in the final list. While Ann Rose Mathew from Kochi who secured 52nd rank (overall) in the final list (7th rank among women cadets), Sreelakshmi Haridos from Thrissur, secured the 138th rank (12th rank among women cadets).
Both received call letters to join NDA at Khadakwasla on August 6. Nearly 1.77 lakh women candidates appeared for the exam held in November 2021 but only 19 seats were given to girls (10 in the army, six in the air force and three in the Navy). The final list was declared on June 14; 443 men made it to the list.
Ann, who hails from Mananthavady and resides in Kochi, is the daughter of naval officer Commander MP Mathew, who is based at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi. Her mother (late) Beena Mathew was a faculty at Teachers’ Training Institute, Edappally. She is a first year BTech student at Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara. Mathew said Ann, who completed Class XII with 98.6% marks in 2021, was passionate about joining the defence service and it was her mother’s dream to see her in uniform.
Beena died of cancer in April. “I grew up seeing my dad in uniform and he is my inspiration. It was my mom’s dream too. Before my mother left us, I cleared the exam and SSB interview. But she could not see me in uniform. My preparation for engineering entrance test helped in clearing the NDA exam,” she said. Ann chose to join the army
Sreelakshmi is the daughter of Haridos Baskaran, HOD-BTech at Eurotech Maritime Academy, Kochi and Jyothy Puthumana, a teacher at Bhavans, Pottore in Thrissur. She will join NDA in the air force ground duty stream. She passed CBSE Class XII exam in science stream in 2022 with 98.8% marks.