One of the most memorable nights of academy life is the ball party. Cadets invite their partners or close friends to the night and enjoy good food, music and company together. Today, we tell you what happens in the OTA Ball and why you should attend it.
What is the OTA Ball Party?
The OTA ball party or simply OTA Ball is a social event for second term cadets before their passing out parade. It marks the transition of these cadets into military officers after rigorous training. Both gentleman and lady cadets invite their partners to the night and share a glimpse of military tradition, etiquette, and camaraderie with them.
OTA Ball: The Invitation
Cadets get invitation cards to invite their partners to the OTA Ball. These bear the name of the cadet as well as the partner along with details about the time, dress code and venue. Cadets send these invitations via post or hand them over on the ball night and await their partners’ presence dearly.
The Arrival at OTA Chennai
On the day of the OTA Ball, all partners arrive at the Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai at the mentioned time. All attendees dress beautifully for the event. Here, the first term gentleman cadets verify their identity using their AADHAR card.
Finally, after all formalities, the ball partners are ferried in olive green buses to where the cadets are. As a former attendee recollects, “All gentlemen and lady cadets are smartly dressed and eager to present a bouquet of flowers to their partner.”
OTA Ball: Setting Off The Celebrations
From here the cadets escort their respective partners to the ground opposite the Pratap Pipping Grounds at OTA Chennai. The partners admire the beauty of the OTA campus, and observe the military etiquettes on the way.
Apart from the cadets and their ball partners, senior officers of the academy also attend the OTA Ball with their spouses. These are people who transform the cadets into young officers.
However, the OTA ball is incomplete without the academy’s commandant, an officer of Lieutenant General rank. The commandant is accompanied by his wife and he rolls the ball on the dance floor, which finally sets off the OTA Ball Party.
What Happens at the OTA Ball?
After the stage is set, the party begins with the Mr. OTA and Ms. OTA competition. All participants perform a ramp walk, introduce themselves, and answer a few questions. The titles are awarded based on these activities and the DJ plays popular tracks to dance to.
The academy’s commandant and serving officers grace the dance floor at the OTA ball party with their spouses first and are followed by the cadets. All attendees dance to songs and cherish the moments together. The unrehearsed dance steps make the night worth remembering for all.
Yet the stags always steal the show. Stags are officer cadets who do not have a ball partner for the evening. Despite this, their moves turn heads and add life to the party.
After the OTA ball dance, dinner is served at the Yoddha Cadets’ Mess. All cadets and their partners reach the magnanimous mess. It is adorned with portraits of military leaders, and it provides a glimpse into the hospitality of a military mess. Here, the attendees dine and civilian partners observe how these cadets have grown over months of training.
This dinner marks the culmination of the beautiful evening.
The Goodbye
Honestly, goodbyes are hard and the cadets realise this more than anyone. The OTA Ball ends by 2400 hours and academy buses escort the partners. They bid adieu to the cadets and the academy with sparkling eyes as the countdown for the passing out parade begins.
The OTA ball party isn’t just a social event but an evening that marks the transformation of an officer cadet into a young officer. It is symbolic of the many punishments, drills, and longing that culminates into two stars on their shoulders. Hence, it remains a special memory.
