Can Women Be Successful In The Indian Armed Forces? These Amazing Naval Officers Tell You More
Here is a close look into the lives of the brave women in the Indian Navy, and how they manage both their worlds efficiently. From work pressure and discipline to family and kids, these women have mastered every field. Here they share with us their secrets to a successful career in Defence.
Here is a close look into the lives of the brave women in the Indian Navy, and how they manage both their worlds efficiently. From work pressure and discipline to family and kids, these women have mastered every field. Here they share with us their secrets to a successful career in Defence.
Perhaps the most defining image from this year’s grand Republic Day parade – that played host to US President Barack Obama – was that of the all-women contingent of the three armed forces marching smartly down the Rajpath in Delhi for the first time ever.
Nevertheless, female officers always find a way to distinguish themselves – just like Commander Gutta Sowjanya Sree and Lieutenant Vartika Joshi from the Navy, and Assistant Commandant Vasundhara Chouksey from the Coast Guard have by navigating the rough seas between Chennai and Kochi recently as part of an expedition on board the INSV Mhadei, led by Commander Dilip Donde, who holds the record of being the first Indian to have circumnavigated the world by sailing.
Although, in the past, female naval and coast guard officers have been known to spend their entire career doing on-shore duties alone, Asst. Cmdt. Chouksey, 25, has already started sailing.
“I have been in service for three years now and it’s been good going so far. I had always been dreaming of being part of such an expedition and when the navy called for women volunteers, I jumped at the opportunity,” she says.
Currently stationed at Chennai’s Coast Guard Air Station, Asst. Cmdt. Chouksey is also keen to take up combat or frontline operations, if given the chance. As a young girl growing up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, she had signed up for the National Cadet Corp during school, and had always planned on a career in the defence forces. As a logistics officer, these days she gets to assist in patrolling the sea from air.
“We are certainly moving towards more frontline roles for women in the armed forces. Women are slowly getting the opportunity to go onboard warships,” remarks Lt. Joshi, a naval architecture cadet posted at Visakhapatnam.
She works on the design and construction of ships and submarines. The fact that most recently designed and constructed warships have separate accommodation for women gives Lt. Joshi the confidence that women naval officer in combat roles will be a reality sooner than later. Asst. Cmdt. Chouksey couldn’t agree more, “I strongly believe that in the next five to 10 years, women will be on the frontline as well.”
According to Hyderabad-born Commander Gutta Sowjanya Sree, 37, who is Joint Director-Training at the National Defence Academy in Pune, anybody – male or female – can take up combat operations with the right kind of training. “The key is being physically and mentally fit. It is a necessary non-negotiable attribute,” she says. Cdr.
Sowjanya Sree, too, feels that right now the problem of bunking with male officers in warships is what has stopped women from finding a more regular space on board. Incidentally, she has the distinction of being the first female officer to have completed 16 years of service in the Navy.
On his part, expedition lead Cdr. Dilip Donde doesn’t see much of a difference in the way male and female officers approach the job. Referring especially to their sailing skills he says, “The lady officers handled the trip very well. When you are on board with only four as the crew, everybody has to do everything and they caught on to the job excellently.”
Sailing is tough and encompasses a whole gamut of activities and responsibilities. Apart from managing the sails, there is navigation, radio communication, maintenance of the boat, repairs, holding the boat afloat when the weather gets rough, and, not to forget cooking meals for the crew. Of course, sailing aboard warships needs greater expertise and endurance. Moreover, this is not your regular nine-to-five job – it’s round the clock and officers on board have to get used to handling work off shore.
“At sea, everything is harder to do, even something as simple as boiling water in a kettle, because of the waves,” points out Cdr. Donde.
Even today, a general notion exists that a career in the defence forces is particularly rough on women. Asst. Cmdt. Chouksey refutes this outright. She says, “I am single right now, but I have seen colleagues and seniors having a successful career as well as a happy married life. In fact, women in the services are far more comfortable. The defence establishment has very good facilities. Living arrangements are not an issue, as female officers are entitled to accommodation where they can stay with their husbands. Moreover, they get to give their children access to a more inclusive and varied education as well as an opportunity to indulge in all kinds of adventure sports.”
In April 2015, Chouksey will be off to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute for an advanced training programme in mountaineering. She has already completed her basic training in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, a few months ago.
For someone who hails from Rishikesh in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, and is now posted in faraway Visakhapatnam, Lt. Joshi doesn’t think that a defence career would clash with her family life “unless I get a difficult remote posting”. Compulsory transfers happen once every three or four years.
“There are married women officers and they are striking a balance between their professional and personal life. And I guess it helps a lot if the family is supportive. There isn’t any specific challenge in the navy, but we lead a disciplined life. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it,” she elaborates.
Like Joshi has mentioned, an encouraging and accommodating family is crucial in making things work. Cdr. Sowjanya Sree’s 13-year-old son Saakeph is in a boarding school in Hyderabad because she didn’t want him to move to different institutions in his secondary schooling years.
Photo for representation purpose only. Courtesy: www.indiandefensenews.in
“Earlier, I used to take him to wherever I was posted,” she recalls. But since her software professional husband is stationed at London and she doesn’t have extended family support, the couple took the call to send their teenage son to a hostel. “During his vacations, he comes over to Pune and I take as much leave as possible to spend time with him. My son is proud of me being in uniform. Personally, his ambitions have varied from being in the infantry to being a scientist, pilot, and software professional. He is learning sailing and horse riding at present,” shares the doting mom.
Cdr. Sowjanya Sree opines that bringing up children while being in service has become relatively easier. “These days, lady officers can take almost a year’s leave on having a baby by clubbing maternity leave, annual leave, furlough leave, and so on. I used to leave my three-month-old baby in a crèche and go to work,” remarks the officer, who was earlier working on missile control systems in DRDO, Visakhapatnam.
“A career in the defence calls for a lot of sincerity and dedication. Unlike civilian jobs, here you can’t go job-hopping,” she adds.
While there is much talk of women taking up combat roles, the reality is a little more complicated. Remember, there are very strict qualifying criteria for these high pressure duties. Physically, even a half a kilo of weight gain or deviation in the lipid profile is not permissible, both of which are inevitable after childbirth. Another apparent challenge is getting family postings. Like civilian women professionals, many women officers, too, prefer to keep their family together. However, despite the hurdles and problems, there are many committed service women who are raring to get some action and they have earned their chance.
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