Maharashtra Girl Fulfils Family’s Army Dream After 2 Generations, Makes It To NDA Merit List – News18

Last Updated:April 15, 2025, 11:35 IST

Jui Deshpande from the Girls Service Preparatory Institute (GSPI) made it to the NDA merit list, fulfilling her family’s dreams of joining the army. Hansika Tillu from the institute also secured a place on the NDA merit list

Many aspire to serve their country by joining the army. Sometimes this dream comes true, while other times it remains unfulfilled.

In Maharashtra, a family’s dream of joining the army spanned two generations. This dream was finally realised by a young girl in the family. She set her sights on joining the Indian Army, enrolled in a Maharashtra government institute, prepared for the National Defence Academy (NDA), and successfully made it to the merit list. Another girl from the same batch also achieved similar success, making their families immensely proud. Here is the story of these two daughters.

Empowering Women In Defence

The government institute, named Girls Service Preparatory Institute (GSPI), was established in Nashik in 2023 to empower women in defence services. The institute saw two of its first batch of students make it to the NDA merit list — Jui Deshpande from Kolhapur and Hansika Tillu from Thane. The first batch included 28 students who took the NDA written exam in September 2024.

Out of these, three students qualified for the Service Selection Board (SSB) interview in December 2024, and Hansika and Jui were finally selected for the NDA.

Fulfilling A Family Legacy

Jui Deshpande’s selection in the NDA fulfilled a dream that spanned two generations. Her mother, Usha Deshpande, a teacher, expressed immense joy and pride, stating that it had always been a family dream to have a member join the defence sector.

When Jui decided to enrol in GSPI, the entire family was thrilled. Jui learned about GSPI while in school and decided to pursue admission, leading to her eventual selection in the NDA.

Hansika’s Journey

Hansika Tillu, who also secured a place on the NDA merit list, had dreamt of joining the armed forces since she was nine. Her father, Mohan Tillu, shared that she always dreamt of joining the Indian Navy and continuously sought opportunities to achieve this goal. Both Hansika and Jui plan to retake the NDA exam to achieve higher ranks.

About GSPI

The Girls Services Preparatory Institute (GSPI) in Nashik is a pioneering, government-backed institution established to prepare young women for careers in the Indian armed forces. It empowers girls with dedicated training for the NDA entrance exams, comprehensive interview training with mock sessions to enhance confidence, and physical as well as mental development programmes aimed at developing stamina, discipline, and resilience.

GSPI was established to prepare girls for officer-level positions in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It was modelled after the Service Preparatory Institute (SPI) in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, which has been preparing Marathi-speaking youth from Maharashtra for defence sector entrance exams since 1977. The main objective of these institutes is to provide pre-service training to students for admission in the NDA.

Location :

Maharashtra, India, India