Who is Shardendu Tiwari, who gave up a Rs 46 lakh Amazon package to join Indian Army?

A Rs 46 lakh-a-year job at Amazon and an opportunity with Airbus were among the career options before 27-year-old Shardendu Tiwari. He chose the Army instead and is set to be commissioned at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Gaya, on Saturday. His commissioning marks a shift from a technology career to military service after he gave up a corporate career and an opportunity with global aerospace company Airbus.

A second-generation soldier, Shardendu was inspired to join the armed forces by his father, Honorary Captain Raj Kumar Tiwari, who served in the Army Service Corps for 36 years before retiring. The family resides in Neelmatha, Lucknow, and traces its roots to Pipergaon in Sultanpur district. Shardendu developed an interest in the armed forces during childhood.

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From engineering to a career in the Army

Shardendu completed his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chandimandir, Haryana. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Information Technology before completing an MTech in Computer Science and Information Security from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.

His professional career took him into the technology sector, where he worked as a cloud engineer at Amazon. Despite the corporate opportunities available to him, including an opportunity with Airbus, he decided to pursue a career in the armed forces.

He appeared for Army selection eight times before finally succeeding. He entered the Army through the technical entry route, which allowed him to combine his interest in technology with military service.

“I was also drawn to the armed forces because of the opportunities they offer for adventure and field service,” he said.

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Leadership role at OTA Gaya

During his training at OTA Gaya, Shardendu’s leadership qualities led to his appointment as Senior Under Officer (SUO), one of the highest cadet appointments at the academy.

Outside training, he enjoys playing basketball and table tennis. His commissioning on Saturday will mark the culmination of his transition from the technology sector to the armed forces.