Pune girl Shruti Shrikhande has emerged as the national topper among girls in the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination.
Shruti is the daughter of Brigadier Vinod Shrikhande and Ujjwala Shrikhande and is currently a law student at ILS, Pune and an alumnus of the Army Public School, Pune.
"It was my dream to join the armed forces and I took up CDS and cleared it," Shruti, who was accompanied by her parents, told a TV channel.
Shruti is all set to join the Officers Traning Academy (OTA). The exam was held for admission to the OTA 107th short service commission course (for men) and 21st short service commission women (non-technical) course, commencing from April, 2018.
Brigadier Shrikhande, said being from a army family she was aware of the traditions and work culture. "Since childhood, she was focused, she was studious," said her mother Ujjwala. "We were sure that she would be in the merit list but we were surprised when she stood first," she added.