Women: The Trendsetters In Indian Armed Forces

This article I’m writing down especially for our lady aspirants, which I’m, sure will help to bring enthusiasm, energy and make them aspire more to join defense. In the modern world, there are no domains of work that women haven’t delved into. Whether it is politics, business, industry or Indian armed forces, you can find confident, bold women, molding into every role and setting examples for everyone. Well, in the land of Razia Sultana and Rani of Jhansi, it comes as no surprise that women make their mark in the Armed Forces.

In the role of a soldier, women have done extremely well and have proved themselves better in serving the nation. Although, women in the Indian Armed forces were inducted primarily in the non-combat arms only like medical corps as doctors and nurses. But in 1992, the doors were thrown open for women entry as regular officers in aviation, logistics, and law, engineering and executive cadres. Apparently they have proved their ability and discharged their duties suitably enough, for what started as a 5 year stint has been increased to 10 and subsequently 14 years for a few disciplines. Whereas, women in the medical branch i.e. doctors and nurses can serve as Permanent Commissioned (PC) officers and are eligible for pension after retirement and also two departments i.e. JAG and AEC have granted permanent commission to the women in the Indian army.

People often wonder, what qualities do they bring to these jobs? Well, research has shown that women are more perceptive and intuitive and endowed with organizational skills that help plan right down to minute detail. They have the ability to empathize and understand, thus making them excel in all such fields that deal with interaction with human personnel; these are fields where women in the armed forces can make a sterling contribution.

Women in the Indian armed forces have always had a “tough row to hoe” and we owe a lot to those women who literally broke ground, opened doors, and made the choice of a military career easier for those who followed. Beginning with the early pioneers, here are some of the achievements military women and their accomplishments:

Priya Jhingan- The first lady cadet to join the Indian Army, later commissioned on 6 March 1993.
Air Marshal Padmavathy Bandopadhyay- The first woman to become an Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force. She joined the Indian Air Force in 1968.
Lt. Divya Ajith- The first woman in the history of the Indian Army, to be selected for the ‘Sword of Honour’ in 2010, which is the highest award given to a cadet of the Officers Training Academy.
Shanti Tigga- The first woman to join the Territorial Army, she was honored by former president Pratibha Patil for being the first female jawan of our country.
Lt. Ganeve Lalji- A young intelligence officer who created the history by becoming the first woman to be appointed as a key aide to an Army Commander.
Lt. Gen. Punita Arora – The first woman in India to don the second highest rank i.e. Lieutenant General of Indian Armed Forces and the first Vice admiral of Indian Navy.
Mitali Madhumita – She became India’s first female officer to receive the Sena Medal for gallantry in 2011.
Flight Officer Gunjan Saxena – She made history by becoming the first woman IAF officer to fly in a combat zone during the Kargil war. She was later honored with the Shurya Vir Award.
Sq. ldr. Veena Saharan- The first woman pilot to land heavy lift transport aircraft IL-76 at Leh airfield.
Fl. Lt. Sneha Shekhawat- The first woman Indian Air Force officer who led a contingent of 144 airmen at the 63rd Republic Day parade down the Raj path.
Fl. Lt. Nivedita Choudhary- The first woman from the Indian Air Force to summit the Mt. Everest.

Apart from that, there are many names that can be added in notable achievements by women in the Indian armed forces. If you know any, please share with us and let everyone know.

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