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A woman officer still walks the tight rope between professional duties and gendered expectations. She may be an army/ air force/ navy officer, but at home she is still expected to look after the home, oversee the kids’ requirements and the demands of in-laws, etc.
Remember Florence Nightingale who assiduously nursed those wounded in battle? For a long time, women in the military were confined to roles like the nursing and clerical duties. We have come a long way since then. As a fauji wife, I’ve had a ringside view to the unfolding changes in the Indian defence services.
Over the years I have seen a heartening increase in the number of women officers in the Air Force. Women have slowly but surely made place for themselves, but each step along the road has been hard won.
The army’s selection board has cleared 108 women for the rank of Colonel in the army earlier in January 2023. This will make women eligible for commanding roles in various branches of the army such as the Ordnance Corps, Army Air Defence, Engineers, Signals, Electrical and Mechanical engineers and so on.
A HISTORIC FIRST FOR ARMY WOMEN OFFICERS SET FOR GREATER HEIGHTS
108 Indian Army women officers to be promoted to full Colonel rank for command role.
Times Network's @srinjoyc1 reports | #Gender #IndianArmy #Women pic.twitter.com/7cJ8jZxfd4
— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) January 20, 2023
The door is now open for women in command roles in the army. While this is a very progressive step, I would hesitate to announce victory for women officers just yet.
Women in Commanding position….One more barrier crossed by women in Army as 108 Women Army Officers To Be Promoted To Rank Of Colonel For Command Role. https://t.co/bGJepLPMdA — Rekha Sharma (@sharmarekha) January 20, 2023
Women in Commanding position….One more barrier crossed by women in Army as 108 Women Army Officers To Be Promoted To Rank Of Colonel For Command Role. https://t.co/bGJepLPMdA
— Rekha Sharma (@sharmarekha) January 20, 2023
Typically, commanding officers leading army units (squadrons in the Air Force) are of the Colonel rank (Group Captain in the Air Force).
Women in the higher echelons of the defence services are still very rare. So far, only three women have reached the three-star rank in the Indian military: Lt. Gen. Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, Surgeon Vice Admiral Punita Arora and Surgeon Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay. These have all been doctors, and senior women officers in the other branches are few if any.
Women entered the military in 1992 as officers. Women became fighter pilots in the IAF as late as 2016. We saw a move towards inducting women soldiers (other than officer ranks) in 2019. Women breached that last remaining male bastion; the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune only last year. The first batch of 19 girls were enrolled at the NDA in 2022 at the premier officers’ training institute.
Women in the military have always had a tough road to tread – from battling systemic hurdles to social attitudes to overcoming entrenched mind-sets of senior officers. I had always noted how there were many women officers in the education, engineering and administrative roles in the Air Force, but the elite squadrons remained all-male. Only now do we have women in fighter squadrons as well as the top transport squadrons.
When I asked senior officers about this, I was told that women are seen as inadequate ROI (return on investment). Since women officers bear children and take leave, this is a problem for the institution and other male officers are required to pick up the slack, I was informed. Also, a lot of women officers are SSC (Short Service Commission) officers, so it is not worth the while of the services to invest in their training. Permanent Commission is still something that women have to fight for as evidenced by the many times the Supreme Court has had to intervene.
WOMEN IN COMMAND Gender Neutral Fauj Possible? "Women will be responsible for an entire unit, they will be commanding officers," says Lt Gen @atahasnain53 (Retd) on this historic first for #IndianArmy @adgpi on #MirrorMetro with @shreyadhoundial pic.twitter.com/1Jo2zOtwD3 — Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) January 20, 2023
WOMEN IN COMMAND Gender Neutral Fauj Possible?
"Women will be responsible for an entire unit, they will be commanding officers," says Lt Gen @atahasnain53 (Retd) on this historic first for #IndianArmy @adgpi on #MirrorMetro with @shreyadhoundial pic.twitter.com/1Jo2zOtwD3
The woman officer typically has to walk the tight rope between her professional duties and gendered expectations that persist in our society. She may be an army/air force/navy officer, but at home she is still expected to look after the running of the home, oversee the kids’ requirements and the demands of in-laws, such as they may be. If she sometimes prioritises her family over her work, she is accused of asking for ‘special treatment’ or favours.
So, I shall celebrate when I actually see a woman commanding an elite squadron or army unit. Until then, I shall curb my enthusiasm in response to the news about women in command roles in the Indian military.
A former lawyer, now freelance writer, fauji wife, mother, singer, knitter and lover of my own cooking, I have altogether too many opinions and too few convictions. The more I learn the more I am read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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