In the order of merit

This is the second batch of the YOs course where lady officers have trained and they have done a great job,” says Colonel A K Sharma, Instructor, Weapon Systems Wing. “Their performance is equally good. Two, three girls are in the first five in the order of merit.”

The officers spend two hours in outdoor training and move to indoor classes -- which include theory, training class room variants of radars like the Reporter which in actual size can only train three officers at a time, sand model displays of war exercises, electronic labs where they learn the circuits of an actual radar etc.

The day’s training ends at 1 pm. Major Baveja says the officers are summoned again for a gun drill in the evenings if they have not been up to the mark in the morning.

Officers say the gun drills require a very high level of physical fitness and robustness.

“It is only in the mind that one makes it a big thing that lady officers are coming, will they be able to do it or not. It is not a big issue at all. Everybody is coping well and we have almost completed the course at the same pace. It has been good,” says Lt Ashish Agashe, a male officer in the same course.

Reportage: Archana Masih. Photographs: Jewella C Miranda