From a cabbie to an army officer!
pune — Driving his career into the fast lane, a former Ola cabbie here heeded the advice of a passenger — a former soldier — and is now all set to become an Indian Army officer later this week, elated family members said.
The ex-taxi driver is Om Paithane, 25, the son of a former private driver Uttam Paithane, hailing from a nondescript village Tondal in this district.
Om is now due to pass out on Saturday from the elite Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, which trains officers for Short Service Commission. “I am extremely happy and overwhelmed... It’s like a dream come true,” Om told IANS briefly as he prepared to join the Indian army.
The journey to the Indian army was not a smooth ride for Om and his family, but the first inspiration came from a passenger, one Col. Bakshi (retd), (Om doesn’t know his first name). “It is Col. Bakshi Sir who changed by life... Talking to me, he suggested about the opportunities in the armed forces and the Combined Defence Service (CDS) exams and even referred me to Lt. Col. Ganesh Babu, the then director, armed forces officers selection orientation programme,” Om said.
After the guiding light and driving the Ola cab for some six months, Om decided to appear for the CDS exams in 2016 and cracked it in the first attempt. He then cleared the Service Selection Board (SSB) exam in Bhopal to join the OTA for a year-long training.
“For an humble family like ours with limited resources or influence at their command, this is a huge achievement and an inspiration for many others struggling to improve their lives,” said his brother Adinath.
Incidentally, Om’s father Uttam Paithane worked as a driver for nearly three decades and faced major problems with his knees, both of which were required to be replaced a few years ago. Unfortunately, while one knee operation was successful, the other failed, making him practically immobile and compelled him to take up a job as security guard in Pune, said Adinath, who now works with the HR Department in TCS, Pune.