When anyone joining the Indian arm forces and serving the motherland is a dream. Sports have closer to the army than any other profession and many athletes have honour with Highly Designate Posts In The Territorial Army.
But not just sports there are many other professions like politicians and actors who have given posts in The army.
It is difficult but not any harm to choose an alternative career option but did you know that there are many athletes, politicians, actors or other famous personalities who not just made India proud in their field but also serve the nation.
List of Famous Personalities who Designated High Posts in the Indian Army
MS Dhoni (Lieutenant Colonel)
We all know practically everything about MS Dhoni – like how he finished games, his lightning-quick stumpings and of course his sharp cricketing acumen that turned many matches in India’s favour.
But did you know the former captain of the Indian cricket team was hold the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in 2011 along with Abhinav Bindra?
He is also a qualified paratrooper after having completed five parachute training jumps.
He was seen playing volleyball with other soldiers in the Territorial Army, polishing his shoes, and unfurling the flag on Independence Day.
The wicket-keeper-batsman has been conferred the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest civilian award, by President Ramnath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Sachin Tendulkar (Group Captain of the Indian Air Force)
Sachin Tendulkar made his debut in 1989 and the first century in 50-overs cricket came in 1994 and play till 2013 for the second half of his career he was pretty much our Master Blaster.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar also known as the God of cricket join the Indian Air Force with the rank of group captain in 2010.
He became the first sportsperson to be confer honorary and the first person without an aviation background to receive this honour.
Sachin Pilot (Lieutenant)
Congress leader and former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot became the first Union Minister commissioned as a regular officer in the Territorial Army after clearing the Preliminary Interview Board (PIB) at Western Command, Chandimandir and the Services Selection Board (SSB) at Bangalore with his medical examination for joining the TA.
At a ceremony his mother Rama Pilot and former Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh pip ranks of Lieutenant, formally commissioning him as an officer in the 124 TA Battalion of the Sikh Regiment.
Sachin Pilot said after getting his commission :
“This has been my desire to join the Army for very long as I wanted to have my links with the armed forces like my father and grandfather. I am honoured to be part of this family,”.
Sachin Pilot said he hope to contribute meaningfully to the cause of the arm forces.
To a query if his joining TA and drawing wages from there would be construe as an ‘office of profit’.
Sachin Pilot Said :
“The clause of office-of-profit in the Indian Constitution, in that, the Territorial Army is an exception. I had considered all these legal aspects before joining the TA,”.
Sachin’s father Squadron Leader Rajesh Pilot was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and his grandfather serve the Indian Army as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO).
Abhinav Bindra is a person full of discipline and self-motivation.
That’s primarily what you need if you’re harbouring hopes of being an Olympic gold medalist.
Abhinav Bindra achieve that feat, something that no other individual from India had done previously when he hit the bull’s eye in 2008 as he had won the only individual Olympic gold medal for India at the Beijing Olympics 2008 and the national anthem was play at the Beijing Games and the country had a moment of pride never experience since 1980 when the men’s hockey team won India an Olympic gold medal.
Abhinav Bindra holds the rank of an honorary lieutenant colonel in India’s territorial army.
He has confer the honour for his outstanding contribution in the field of sports and his commitment to the Army on various occasions.
Abhinav Bindra is also an Arjuna Award winner and has given the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.
Kapil Dev (Lieutenant Colonel)
Kapil Dev is popularly known as the Haryana Hurricane.
He is the 1983 World Cup winner the most dominant innings by an Indian batsman in the history of World Cup cricket.
Kapil Dev score 175 runs in a single innings in one-day international cricket against Zimbabwe at Neville Ground in Tunbridge Wells.
He holding the trophy on the Lord’s balcony is one that signifies the coming of age of Indian cricket.
Former Indian cricket captain Was commission as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army in 2008.
Late Milkha Singh (JCO from Sepoy)
Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh who pretty much put India on the map when it came to track and field.
Milkha Singh, a four-time Asian Games gold medalist, had also won the gold medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games.
His best performance was at the 1960 Rome Olympics in which he finish fourth in the 400m final.
Milkha Singh also represent India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics.
Milkha Singh holds the award Padma Shri in 1959.
He join the Indian arm forces in 1951 and later this sprinter made India proud on international forums.
He was commission to JCO from Sepoy taking his achievement of Asian games 1958 into confederation.
Mohanlal Vishwanath Nair (Lieutenant Colonel)
Mohanlal Vishwanath Nair is the most popular star in South Industry who act in over 300 Malayalam films.
In 2018, Mohanlal was formally induct into the Territorial Army Of India in the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the then Army Chief Deepak Kapoor.
Mohanlal became the first actor to receive that honour and also receive a black belt in Taekwondo from Kukkiwon South Korea in 2012, making him again the first South Indian to receive that honour.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Lt-Colonel)
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was the winner of India’s first-ever Olympic Games individual silver in double trap shooting in Athens 2004.
But not many know that Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore serve in the Indian Army and was commission into the army in 1990 as part of the 9th Grenadiers (Mewar) Regiment.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was then promote to Lieutenant in 1992, going on to be Major by 2000 and eventually a Colonel in 2009 and fought in the Kargil war.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore join politics after retiring from professional shooting and became a Member of Parliament later taking charge of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry and later, the Sports Ministry.
As per the Olympics official website, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has won 25 international medals in all, including two golds at the World Shooting Championships and was rank second in the world after the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Deepak Rao (Major)
Deepak Rao is a Sports Physician, a Publish Author on Political & Military Science, a Pragmatic Philosopher and Motivational/TEDx speaker also a Commando Trainer who trained about 20,000 soldiers from every elite arm force for 25 years since 1994 selflessly without accepting any compensation.
He made the brand ambassador of the Territorial Army (India) and the Indian Army with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Abhinav Bindra in 2011.
Deepak Rao was commission into the Para TA Regiment with the honorary rank of Major by the President of India for his 17 years of contribution to the Indian Army.
Anurag Singh Thakur (Captain in the Territorial Army)
Anurag Singh Thakur is a four-time BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur who was commission into the Territorial Army as a Lieutenant by then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Dalbir S Suhag TA in July 2016 and became the first serving MP to be appoint as Captain in the Territorial Army in 2021.
He was promote to Captain in the 124 Sikh regiment.
Anurag Singh Thakur join the Army after clearing the SSB exam and a personal interview conduct in Chandigarh.
He underwent over two weeks of pre-qualification training held in Bhopal.
Anurag Singh Thakur Said :
“I am extremely honoured to have been promoted to the rank of Captain. I would like to reaffirm my commitment to serving the people and the call of duty towards mother India,”.
“I come from Devbhoomi Himachal which has a long tradition of (its people) serving in the armed forces. I am glad I could carry on the mantle of my ancestors. It’s a privilege to wear the uniform,”.
