17 women, look up to the sky

The Hindu

2 days ago

On May 29, Jasmine, 21, is dressed in her white uniform and stands with her parents on the steps of the National Defence Academy's (NDA) Sudan Block. Behind her, flanking the entrance, are gold tri-service emblems with the words 'Service before self'. In front of her is the rest of her life, which she will likely spend serving India in one of the three defence forces. Hugging her mother, she says with joy, 'I did it.'
Jasmine is one of 17 — the first batch of women to graduate from the military's joint-services training institute in Khadakwasla, Maharashtra. It took 148 courses, 70 years, and a Supreme Court verdict for policies to change, so women could enter the academy. She graduates with over 300 men, who will all join as officers in the Army, Air Force, and Navy.
In September 2021, Jasmine came across a notification on the government's Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) website inviting women to appear for the entrance exams. The Supreme Court had ruled in favour of this just the month before, based on a petition. The petition had argued that the NDA had been violating women's right to equality and the right to practise the profession of their choice.
This decision came after three decades of women serving in the armed forces through Short-Service Commission, where they could serve for 10 years, with an extension. However, women have always been a part of the medical, educational, legal and other services of the military in non-combatant roles. Women fighter pilots have been inducted into the Air Force since 2016. However, the Army still does not permit women in the fighting arms like the infantry.
With the entrance exam on November 14, there were just 70 days to prepare. The first batch of 19 female cadets joined the NDA in August 2022. Two withdrew from the course for personal reasons, according to NDA officials. Since 2022, when women were inducted into the NDA, there have been 126 cadets across courses.
Jasmine comes from Charkhi Dadri town in Haryana, where her parents, Jeevan Ram, 42, and Sarita, 42, are farmers. 'We might be from a village, but our thinking has never been regressive,' says Sarita, her eyes filled with pride. There are two others from the same town, all from non-military backgrounds.
Of the 17, nine cadets will join the Army, three will join the Navy, and five will join the Air Force. Jasmine will join the Navy and go to Hyderabad for further training. Most of the women are from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttarakhand. Currently, the defence forces have 11,414 women officers, as per officials.
Stepping up
They stand on the steps of Sudan Block, and photos are taken, frozen as a memory and a part of history. The block is located at the heart of the NDA's 7,000-acre campus, set in the foothills of the Western Ghats, 17 km from Pune city. It is a central point for ceremonial functions, where parents, instructors, cadets, and officers meet and greet after the convocation, held on May 29.
As the Super Dimona motorised gliders fly overhead, saluting the 148th course cadets for graduating, Srishti Chaudhary, 21, and Harsimran Kaur, 21, stand in Sudan Block's garden looking at the sky. Both were preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), a national-level exam for engineering programmes, before turning to the NDA.
'I had 40 days to prepare and took online classes for initial coaching,' says Srishti, who hails from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, and will be serving in the Navy. Harsimran, whose father is in the Army, had plans to enter via the Short-Service Commission route, until NDA opened its doors to women. Ishita Sangwan, 21, who is also from Charkhi Dadri, was deciding between the JEE and the Civil Services.
The cadets — both male and female — go through a gruelling selection process, starting with a written examination conducted by the UPSC, followed by an interview process under the Services Selection Board. There are medical tests to be cleared and for those aspiring to join the Air Force, a Computerized Pilot Selection System (CPSS) test must be taken.
'You have to have clear priorities before joining the NDA,' says Ishita, who is joining the Air Force. Overwhelmed, she hugs her instructor, repeatedly saying thank you with tears rolling down her face. Ishita remembers a phone call from her father, who is a school principal. 'He told me the NDA was open for women candidates. We discussed it and I decided to take the exams,' she added.
After three years of rigorous physical training and academic courses, cadets will go for further training for at least a year. Army cadets will go to Dehradun's Indian Military Academy (IMA), Air Force cadets will be trained at the Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal, and naval cadets at Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala, Kerala.
Game of endurance
Physical training is one of the major elements of the NDA's three-year course and is often considered its toughest component. Daily training includes obstacle courses, route marches, swimming, horse riding, rope climbing, sprinting, field tactics, weapon handling, and more.
During the petition hearing in the Supreme Court, the Centre had opposed the enrolment of women over biological differences. Now, the NDA spokespeople say all training was the same, but physical standards were adjusted to address biological differences. The women say it was a matter of mental strength and endurance. Ishita remembers her toughest moments: 'We had to climb a hill bearing weight as a part of Camp Rovers. Everyone was exhausted because it extends for five days. We hadn't slept properly for three or four nights and I felt like giving up. But my coursemate Srishti Singh started singing, and we kept climbing. The next thing we knew the hill was conquered.'
One of the toughest challenges was the 40 km Josh Camp, conducted at the end of the sixth term, say the women. All 18 squadrons competed with each other and performed various tasks, including map reading and running day and night. Ishita's squadron, which included male counterparts, started at 9:30 p.m. and finished at 11:30 the next morning.
NDA Commandant Vice-Admiral Gurcharan Singh called the inclusion of women a 'progressive process'. Initially, the female cadets' living arrangements were separate as that is the way it is done at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, which has been open to women since 1992, with Short-Service Commission. This was changed in the NDA to build camaraderie among members of a squadron. 'We ensured they played, lived, trained, together, to achieve gender neutrality,' says Gurcharan, adding that barriers need to come down from the start, so there is no difference in times of conflict or battle.
Mothers and others
On May 30, Geeta Dhaka, 45, watched with pride as her daughter Shanan Dhaka, 21, participated in the passing out parade. The women and men are dressed alike, their hair cropped short, and from a distance, there is no difference. Shanan's sister is currently training at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC).
'Today, I feel really proud as my daughter has endured the toughest defence course. Since childhood, my children had wanted to join the defence, like my husband. This shift from a fauji wife to a fauji maa is emotional and painful too,' she says, understanding that in case of a war-like situation, her husband and daughter may both be called up. The Dhaka family is from Chandigarh, but currently resides in Rohtak.
Division Cadet Captain (DCC) Shriti Daksh, who was put into a leadership position, follows in her father's footsteps. Wing Commander Yogesh Daksh (retd.) is proud: 'Shriti scored 97% in Class 10 and 99% in Class 12. She has always been good academically, and seeing her top the arts course makes me a happy father.'
Her mother was worried about the intense physical training, but says, 'It goes to show that if you put your mind to something, it will pay off.' Their other daughter is serving in the Air Force as a Flying Officer, and the family hails from Haryana, but is currently based in Noida.
Academy Cadet Captain Udayveer Singh Negi of the 'G' Squadron, who commanded this Spring term parade (two batches pass out each year from NDA), waited as Shriti celebrated with others informally in the parking area, between cars. Amid the loud cheers of betiya date hi rahe, betiya jeet gayi (Daughter keep going, daughter won), Udayveer says, 'Most of the time we forget that they are women. We trained with each other, shoulder to shoulder. In a few tasks like map reading and field tactics, they outdid us. We felt equal, and gender was never a restriction.'
The cadets' parents would visit their children at the end of each term of six months, meeting each other too. After the parade, mothers hugged each other and clicked selfies. Srishti's mother, Priyanka, says, 'Our children have become friends, but we parents also share bonds. We became each other's support systems through the course.'
Cadet Harsimran Kaur from Punjab points out: 'Our bond has grown beyond that during these three years. These friendships are for life.'
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Edited by Sunalini Mathew