Women cadets marching in step for the first time in NDA’s passing out parade – a symbol of gender equality in the army and the idea of a new India.
A new chapter is going to be added to Indian military history. For the first time in the passing out parade of the 148th course of the National Defense Academy (NDA), 17 women cadets will march step by step with more than 300 male cadets on the parade ground. Women cadets trained from the Tri-Service Training Institute will join the Navy and Air Force service. After the historic decision of the Supreme Court, women were allowed to enter the NDA in the year 2021 and now its result is coming out in a strong form. This parade is also a clear proof of the thinking of New India and women empowerment.
A big step towards equality
The foundation of this historic achievement was laid in August 2021, when the Supreme Court gave a bold and visionary decision. The apex court directed that women should also be allowed to appear in the entrance examinations of NDA and Naval Academy. This decision was taken after a petition demanding equal opportunity to eligible women. It was not just a legal decision, but a big step towards gender equality in the Indian Army.
New India, New Thinking
Today, the participation of women in the Indian Army is not only increasing but is also becoming an inspiration. In the new India, women officers are now participating in frontline operations and flying fighter aircraft. These 17 cadets graduating from NDA will also lead the change in the coming years that will make the Indian Army more inclusive and modern.
Women empowerment on every front
The recent ‘Operation Sindoor’ gave the message that Indian women are active at every level for respect and security. On the one hand, those who destroyed the vermilion were punished, while Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh played an important role in Operation Sindoor and made India’s Matri Shakti feel. It is not only a symbol of military strength but also of social awareness and female dignity. This new form of the Indian Army on one hand shows the respect for the Matri Shakti, on the other hand it also shows that women officers are no longer behind in decisive roles. This is
how the Modi government changed the picture
Somewhere behind this change is the thinking of many revolutionary schemes run in the field of women empowerment in the last decade. Initiatives like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, ‘Ujjwala Yojana’, ‘Sukanya Samridhi Yojana’, ‘Janani Suraksha Yojana’ also put women’s health, education and self-reliance at the center. Entry of women in NDA is a part of such a vision according to which women in India are not only worshipped but they are also given opportunities to lead and take decisions. A
Confluence of Indian tradition and modern thinking
India is a country where women have always been considered a form of ‘Shakti’. Goddess forms like Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped here. In the new India, worship is not only symbolic but its real form is visible in the country’s armies, scientific laboratories, courts and parliament.
New form of Nari Shakti
In such a situation, the passing out of these first women cadets of NDA is a landmark event. This decision, this scene and this success all tell the story of the creation of a new India. An India that considers women not only a subject of worship but also a partner in nation building. These 17 women cadets are not only an inspiration for their family and society but they will also determine the direction of the coming generations.
Editorial by -PRASAR BHARATI SHABD
