Girls in NDA : The Final Bastion

 

The final citadel has been stormed, leaving in its trail bruised egos, unsure soldiers and all at sea veterans. The hierarchy simply caved in without even a semblance of a fight. Yes I am referring to the entry of girls in NDA, now that the judiciary has issued a diktat, like it or lump it, gender discrimination has been buried. At least the legal eagles would like to believe that. Wish it were that simple, then by now we would have been a caste less society with no religious persecution,  crime free utopia, in fact we would all be living in  the proverbial “Ram Rajya”.

I can understand the anguish of the veterans, they are peeved as to why did it take so long for the high and mighty to open the floodgates; they  were after all an “all boys club” in the academies and even later on. As by the time, the ladies made their foray as short service commissioned officers, they wer
e already senior in ranks much married and father figures, a role which they played to perfection mollycoddling the young ladies in the initial days. It is believed that one of the Commandants in OTA Chennai in the initial days walked in with a box full of chocolates for the opening address to the LCs (lady cadets). It is to the credit of the young ladies that they imbibed the ethos in the units they served in, as also the unit officers ably led by their Commanding Officers who groomed them that they started proving their worth in the organisation. The armed forces and chivalry are synonymous, ladies were always treated with utmost respect, to that extent ladies joining the Armed Forces were safe. 

The Fauji hierarchy has also tied itself in knots, now that permanent commission has been granted to women officers, the mode of entry through NDA or OTA is actually immaterial, except the functional issues which are more administrative in nature, which given time can be addressed.

Then why was the organisation not keen on taking them on board for a permanent commission and kept them from harms way by restricting their employment to so called sedentary duties and did not let them see action in the combat arms. Obviously there must be strong reasons and if that was so, then why did they give up so easily and accept the writing on the wall.

Having been an instructor with Lady Officers as trainees and having commanded them in units in peace, field and exercises, I can say that by and large they made good officers. However, one had to be mindful of their physical limitations and assign them tasks commensurate with their capabilities. A leader is expected to know his officers and men and should be able to motivate them to excel. The lady officers were happy if they faced professional challenges successfully without being given any preferential treatment. Would I be a vocal supporter of this cause then.....I am afraid, no. 

Despite all the positives, there are a few major issues which can't be overlooked. First and foremost is our society and culture, and the unreasonable and illogical pressures by the public and media. The Kandahar hijack  episode is a blot not only on our security establishment for having failed to  Abhinandan's capture by Pak during the post Balakot incident is still fresh in everyone's minds. There was a clamour to bring him back at all costs. 

Kandahar hijack and its aftermath is still not faded from our memory, when the media and general public went ballistic demanding immediate capitulation to secure the release of the passengers. If that is not enough, the mutilations and torture of Lt Anuj Kalia during Kargil and Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja who was also brutally tortured and murdered despite being captured alive……..God forbid if such an eventuality was to occur with the adversaries we face who do not respect any human rights, wouldn’t we be putting ourselves as a nation in a very delicate situation of our own making. 

The second issue pertains to the elitist nature of elimination of gender discrimination, effecting only the officer cadre, how about the rank and file. If the ladies are as good as gentlemen officers then why not induct them as sepoys in all the arms and services? Worth pondering!! The honourable Supreme Court compared St Stephens college permitting girls with that of NDA, with due respect My Lord, while the former is just a college and the latter is a military training institution. Obviously a case of comparing apples and bitter gourd (karela), not oranges as they are at least in the same genre of fruits(!). 

Well then, now that it is fait accompli, welcome aboard girls but tread with caution…..the path from here on will  be tough and toughs are expected to get going..