'We are soldiers’

observing their remarkable camaraderie, I ask if the experience is reminiscent of college days and Lt Mandotra sums up their sentiment eloquently:

“We are not students, we are soldiers. We are not teenagers -- then our goals were different. Here things are totally different, we are not living in that mindset. That way it is totally different.”

The lady officers say the training has made them more mature, more confident. From the days of being a cadet to being an officer is totally different.

Major Baveja says training the officers costs between Rs 16,000 and 18,000 per officer, per week.

Indian Army rules allow women officers to serve in the army for 14 years which includes a mandatory five year initial stint. Most lady officers at the college we spoke to said they would decide their next course of action at the end of year five.

Unlike Lt Mulasi and Lt Mandotra -- the latter who comes from a family of officers in the armed forces -- Lt Nair is from a non-armed forces background. A ‘proper civilian’ family, as she put it. Her mother is a teacher, her father served in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

The youngest in her family, she joined the army because amongst her relatives there are doctors and engineers and she wanted to be someone different.

Lt Neha Singh’s mother is also a teacher. Lt Chibber’s father served in the ministry of defence -- of the nine lady officers, four are from a non-defence forces background.

The women joined the army when their friends aimed for MBA degrees and other lucrative jobs. A career in the army may not be a high paying job but the lady officers say it is a good career for those who want job satisfaction.

After spending a day with these impressive women officers one tends to agree.

This unique band of sisters will command men into battle one day and inspire a generation of young women after them.

Reportage: Archana Masih. Photographs: Jewella C Miranda

Text: Archana Masih; Photographs: Jewella C Miranda