Pune: The first batch of women cadets of the National Defence Academy (NDA), marching in perfect synchrony with male contingents, scripted a new chapter in the history of the Indian Armed Forces on May 30.The 17 trailblazing women cadets proudly crossed the ‘Antim Pag’ after going through three years of intense military and academic training, standing shoulder to shoulder at the Arun Khetarpal Parade Ground of the premier military academy on Friday morning.“This is the day we dreamed of for the last three years. We are here,” said Ritul Duhan, the first Battalion Cadet Captain of the first batch of women cadets, with a beaming smile.The women cadets were part of each aspect of the parade. For the first time, they were also ‘pilots’ to receive the guests to the quarter deck.Like previous parades during their time at the academy, they did not have a separate contingent — instead, they marched together with the male cadets, indistinguishable with their military crew haircut and confident stride.The women cadets celebrated the moment together with a ‘push-up’ competition in front of the Sudan Block, where they first stepped into the academy three years ago with the dream to carve their names into the history of the Indian military. The PoP was a culmination of their hard work, determination, motivation, and high standards of physical fitness.The reviewing officer, former Army Chief Gen VK Singh and Governor of Mizoram, described the moment as a unique and significant day in the history of NDA.“These young women are the inimitable symbol of ‘nari shakti’, embodying not just women’s development but women-led development. I envision a future not far from now when one of these women rises to the highest echelon of the service they go to,” he said.He added, “The moment shows the uniqueness of the NDA as we could not distinguish male and female cadets during the parade. They are meticulously and strongly trained at the academy,” said Singh, who passed out from NDA in 1969.Academy Cadet Captain Udayveer Singh Negi, a President’s silver medalist, commanded the parade of 1,341 cadets, including 336 passing out cadets. Negi told TOI, “The women cadets performed well. We did not consider them separate. They outshone male cadets in many aspects. For us, they are just our course mates. They are just worthy, capable, and I am sure they will do justice to their services.”The hours-long rehearsals for the parade in both scorching heat and rain culminated with impressive results, said cadet Ishita Singh. “The PoP is one of the most important events in military life. I always wanted to celebrate this occasion in front of my parents and dear ones. Today, I could fulfil my wish,” she told TOI.Srishti Singh, the naval cadet, also spoke of some initial difficulties at the academy as she struggled to balance training and academics. “My grades dropped in the first term, but after acquainting myself with the schedule, I picked up well,” she said. Recalling the days of the ‘Josh run’ of 40km during night camps with male cadets, she said, “I was, in fact, supported and motivated by male cadets during the run. Their motivation pushed me to achieve my optimum. Likewise, we helped each other like ‘real buddies’.”Vice Admiral Gurucharan Singh, Commandant of NDA, told TOI, “They (the women cadets) have done exceptionally well and their performance in the parade was testimony to their high spirit and motivation.”On the occasion, VK Singh also unveiled a special magazine titled ‘Breaking Barriers’, in which officers and the NDA Commandant have written about their experiences training the first batch of women cadets.At the ceremony, VK Singh presented the President’s gold medal to Battalion Cadet Adjutant Prince Raj, the President’s silver medal to Academy Cadet Captain Negi, and the President’s bronze medal to Battalion Cadet Captain Tejas Bhatt. The prestigious Chiefs of Staff Banner was awarded to the Golf squadron for overall excellence.Seamless integration of women cadets: CommandantThe academy gradually and seamlessly integrated women cadets with boys. Commandant Gurcharan Singh said that when girls first came to the academy, they were staying separately. “Today, they are integrated completely with squadrons and battalions. They are running, playing and training together. Every activity at the academy is gender neutral. It took us time, but now it is in progress.”He said that before taking the step of integrating women cadets into the squadrons and assessing how their living conditions would be, he personally led a team to the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, and the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, where female cadets were in training for some years. “We drew inspiration from them, studied their models, and adapted as to how it can be implemented here at NDA,” he said. Pune: The first batch of women cadets of the National Defence Academy (NDA), marching in perfect synchrony with male contingents, scripted a new chapter in the history of the Indian Armed Forces on May 30.The 17 trailblazing women cadets proudly crossed the ‘Antim Pag’ after going through three years of intense military and academic training, standing shoulder to shoulder at the Arun Khetarpal Parade Ground of the premier military academy on Friday morning.“This is the day we dreamed of for the last three years. We are here,” said Ritul Duhan, the first Battalion Cadet Captain of the first batch of women cadets, with a beaming smile.The women cadets were part of each aspect of the parade. For the first time, they were also ‘pilots’ to receive the guests to the quarter deck.Like previous parades during their time at the academy, they did not have a separate contingent — instead, they marched together with the male cadets, indistinguishable with their military crew haircut and confident stride.The women cadets celebrated the moment together with a ‘push-up’ competition in front of the Sudan Block, where they first stepped into the academy three years ago with the dream to carve their names into the history of the Indian military. The PoP was a culmination of their hard work, determination, motivation, and high standards of physical fitness.The reviewing officer, former Army Chief Gen VK Singh and Governor of Mizoram, described the moment as a unique and significant day in the history of NDA.“These young women are the inimitable symbol of ‘nari shakti’, embodying not just women’s development but women-led development. I envision a future not far from now when one of these women rises to the highest echelon of the service they go to,” he said.He added, “The moment shows the uniqueness of the NDA as we could not distinguish male and female cadets during the parade. They are meticulously and strongly trained at the academy,” said Singh, who passed out from NDA in 1969.Academy Cadet Captain Udayveer Singh Negi, a President’s silver medalist, commanded the parade of 1,341 cadets, including 336 passing out cadets. Negi told TOI, “The women cadets performed well. We did not consider them separate. They outshone male cadets in many aspects. For us, they are just our course mates. They are just worthy, capable, and I am sure they will do justice to their services.”The hours-long rehearsals for the parade in both scorching heat and rain culminated with impressive results, said cadet Ishita Singh. “The PoP is one of the most important events in military life. I always wanted to celebrate this occasion in front of my parents and dear ones. Today, I could fulfil my wish,” she told TOI.Srishti Singh, the naval cadet, also spoke of some initial difficulties at the academy as she struggled to balance training and academics. “My grades dropped in the first term, but after acquainting myself with the schedule, I picked up well,” she said. Recalling the days of the ‘Josh run’ of 40km during night camps with male cadets, she said, “I was, in fact, supported and motivated by male cadets during the run. Their motivation pushed me to achieve my optimum. Likewise, we helped each other like ‘real buddies’.”Vice Admiral Gurucharan Singh, Commandant of NDA, told TOI, “They (the women cadets) have done exceptionally well and their performance in the parade was testimony to their high spirit and motivation.”On the occasion, VK Singh also unveiled a special magazine titled ‘Breaking Barriers’, in which officers and the NDA Commandant have written about their experiences training the first batch of women cadets.At the ceremony, VK Singh presented the President’s gold medal to Battalion Cadet Adjutant Prince Raj, the President’s silver medal to Academy Cadet Captain Negi, and the President’s bronze medal to Battalion Cadet Captain Tejas Bhatt. The prestigious Chiefs of Staff Banner was awarded to the Golf squadron for overall excellence.Seamless integration of women cadets: CommandantThe academy gradually and seamlessly integrated women cadets with boys. Commandant Gurcharan Singh said that when girls first came to the academy, they were staying separately. “Today, they are integrated completely with squadrons and battalions. They are running, playing and training together. Every activity at the academy is gender neutral. It took us time, but now it is in progress.”He said that before taking the step of integrating women cadets into the squadrons and assessing how their living conditions would be, he personally led a team to the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, and the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, where female cadets were in training for some years. “We drew inspiration from them, studied their models, and adapted as to how it can be implemented here at NDA,” he said.
