Dare to dream big like her!
Major Priya Jhingan was the first of the 25 female officers to join the Indian Army in 1993. She was earlier enrolled as cadet no. 01 on September 21, 1992. This silver medallist passed out with flying colours to top the first batch of feisty women officers commissioned in the Indian Army.
This was a milestone for women in India when Priya Jhingan was formally inducted into the Indian army as an officer. The doors for women cadets were closed in the military until then. A letter written to the Chief of the Army Staff, General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, changed the mindset.
As a response, the General replied that the army was planning to induct women in the next two years. Subsequently, the army opened its doors for women to join its ranks as promised. Priya was thrilled that her dreams were finally coming true.
Who is Priya Jhingan?
Priya Jhingan is the daughter of a police officer who was inspired to don the olive green and serve the country. Initially, she pursued a law degree until the army called for women cadets. In 1992, she applied when the military opened its doors for women to join its ranks,
Priya created history when she was selected and enrolled as cadet no. 01. However, there were no special concessions for women at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. They underwent the same rigorous physical training routine as the male cadets. This only made her tougher and more committed to serving the nation.
After completing her training, Priya received her service commission on March 6, 1993. Following this, she served for 10 years as a Judge Advocate General. Eventually, she retired from the services as Major Priya Jhingan in 2002.
The Story of the First Woman Cadet
From a tender age, gutsy Priya looked forward to wearing a uniform and serving the country. After all, she was the proud daughter of a police officer. Priya believed that donning a uniform to serve the country was far more important than earning a salary.
However, the Indian Army had never seen a female cadet train at its academy until 1992. It was her letter to the Chief of Army Staff and his reply that her dreams finally took shape. Decades later, the General’s signed letter to her remains a prized possession.
Days At The Officers Training Academy (OTA)
Priya’s experiences as a young woman cadet at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai range from inspirational to motivating. And they were sometimes overly hilarious on a male-dominated campus.
She recalls the time when she entered the OTA with her 24 companions. They had their trunks along with a list of requests, including a saloon, tube lights, and warm water.
But what they discovered was appalling then. The strenuous physical training exactly matched the routine of the male cadets at the academy. Nevertheless, it toughened them to the core as no compensation was made for the gender.
She also remembers the embarrassing ordeal of lady cadets during the parallel training. Women cadets had to get into the same pool as the male cadets. They tightly wrapped towels around them and refused to let it go. The towels finally fell only when the platoon commander, Captain P S Behl, came to order them to stand in attention.
Priya also courageously stood her ground when a drunk jawan forcibly entered her room. Eventually, he was court-martialled and forced to leave.
Nonetheless, Priya prides herself on never having to face any gender discrimination during her days in service. She emphasizes how all female cadets were called’ Sirs during the training.’
From Friends To Family
Priya is now married to Manoj Malhotra, a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the army. He runs an adventure sports company in Himachal Pradesh. The couple live with their son, Aryaman.
However, women presently only serve in education, engineering, legal, medical, and signal wings of the Indian Army. The reasons for refusing combat roles are logistical issues and operational concerns.
