On Republic Day 2012, the contingents of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force marching down Rajpath broke away from tradition- It was the first time in history, that a lady officers were leading contingents in the Republic Day Parade. Lieutenant Commander Sandhya Chauhan was one of these inspirational young ladies, who was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the Naval contingent of 147 sailors (two women, rest men) in the ceremonial march. It was a day that changed everything for her as well as the ones around her. It was a day when she lived her father’s dream. In response to how she felt on this momentous occasion, she said:
“I am living my father’s dream today. I hope this inspires other young women in the country to join the armed forces.”
The young gun believes strongly in gender equality and sees no reason why women should not be as keen to join the defence forces. She wishes to assure all female defence aspirants and their parents that defence services are not unwelcoming towards female officers, and that they are treated equal to their male counterparts when in service. She understands that the apprehensions are not unreasonable, but also believes that times are changing. We can’t help but agree with her as we see women gaining equal positions on a national platform, just as she did on the said occasion. If Lieutenant Commander Sandhya can do it, why can’t the others?
Lieutenant Commander Sandhya carries a proud heritage in the forces. Her grandfather served in the Indian Army, and to this date, proves to be her biggest inspiration. Her elder brother, Major Digvijay Chauhan is a serving officer in the Indian Army too. Not just this, her husband is also a Naval officer! She has always taken inspiration from her family members, who in turn, have been incredibly supportive of her. She knows she has her family’s trust and she places her faith in the women who join the defence forces. She believes that women have a long way to go and they must, for they have immense potential.
One may think that her family background indicates an easier path for her than others like her, but that is not true. She comes from the Rewari district of Haryana which is notorious for having one of the worst sex ratios in the whole country- fewer than 700 girls per 1000 boys. It’s praiseworthy then, how she has battled various prejudices and challenges and reached where she is today. Despite her hardships, she continues to shine and inspire. Her success is itself her answer to the unreasonable gender bias prevalent in many parts of India.
Lieutenant Commander Sandhya completed her early education from a government school in the tiny village of Kundal. She was brought up with simple, middle- class values. She went on to complete her higher education from Rewari itself, post which she attempted to get into Indian Navy. Her endeavors bore fruit as she was commissioned into the flying branch of Indian Navy in 2010. With education from non- elitist schools and a rigid determination, Sandhya managed to achieve her father’s dream. She became an officer in the forces and refused to bow down to the biased society. She affirms that other girls must also hope and work wholeheartedly to achieve their dreams-
“I am just another Haryanvi girl. If I can do it, other girls can do it too.”
Through this statement, one can understand how positive and humble she is as a person. In her words, there is a strong desire to see others succeed and grow. Just the next day after her feat in the Republic Day Parade of 2012, she went to her village, Kundal. She reminisces with fondness of her days spent in the village. She would sit with her father and watch episodes of the serial Aarohan on Doordarshan which starred Pallavi Joshi as a Naval officer. At the end of these father- daughter sessions, her father would weave a dream for his daughter- the dream of becoming a defence officer. It was here that Sandhya’s future began taking shape at a very early age. She always knew where she was headed, and it shows. She turned her father’s dream into a reality.
On her special day, Kundal village faced a power cut which meant that a lot of the villagers were not audience to her commendable feat. However this did not let Sandhya’s hopes down. She made an earnest effort to send video clips of her march by WhatsApp messaging service to those back home in the village. She sincerely wanted the girls in her village to take inspiration and work for themselves.
Sandhya was informed of her duties for the Parade only three or four days before the 66th Republic Day. She practiced her march along with her team meticulously and wholeheartedly. She shared camaraderie with all her contingent members, and says they all now miss the marching practice. She also recounted how the male officers were supportive of her endeavor for they had no qualms with a lady officer commanding their contingent.
She is grateful to the people in her life that had faith in her and implored her to tread the path of the forces. She hopes that this will set an example for all those who believe women are inferior to men, and restrict them from growing as individuals. She hopes that more and more women shall join the forces soon and add to the country’s monumental power.
Lieutenant Sandhya Chauhan is a staff observer (monitors sensors, radars et al) for Dornier aircrafts in the Indian Navy. She has a vision for the girls in the country-
“Indian girls are ready for larger and prominent roles in the armed forces. They are ready for combat roles – as and when the policy is made to this effect- you can be sure that we will be ready for it… The problem is in the mindset – as sisters they feel they can’t do what their brothers can and as mothers they feel their daughters can’t do what their sons can… I told the girls in my village that I am also just like them and went to the same government school. If I can do it, so can the others.”
We wish this amazing officer the best for her future and sincerely hope that others will follow her footsteps. Her accomplishments are commendable, but it’s her vision and determination that most definitely deserve a crisp salute from all of us.
Photo links:
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