Womanpower in Uniform: Republic@75

India takes a big stride into the future as Women Warriors lead the charge in India's 75th Republic Day Celebration

- MAJOR GENERAL ATANU K. PATTANAIK (RETD)

IN A SPEECH “WHY I left Home and Homeland” on July 9, 1943 in Singapore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose called for every able-bodied Indian to enlist in the INA and concluded with a stunning demand: “I want also a unit of brave Indian women to form a ‘Death-defying Regiment’ who will wield the sword, which the brave Rani of Jhansi wielded in India’s First War of Independence in 1857.” Promptly, on July 12, 1943, a female guard of honour for Bose was organised with some difficulty under Dr Lakshmi Swaminathan. Twenty women were persuaded to train to present arms using Lee-Enfield 303 rifles borrowed from the INA. With no time to produce uniforms, the women wore white saris. The fabled Rani of Jhansi Regiment took shape that year in October. The images of a smartly uniformed Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan (Sahgal) marching step in step beside Netaji Bose inspecting will remain etched forever.

Netaji Bose would be smiling approvingly from his majestic 28 feet tall statue perched on the canopy near the India Gate, surveying the 75th Republic Day parade as women in uniform from the armed services, paramilitary forces and departments like the ISRO and DRDO marched down the Kartavya Path. The traditional Republic Day parades exhibit a heady mix of culture and combat power; and while women have always had a significant presence in showcasing our culture, this is the first time they made their forceful and emphatic presence in the display of India’s raw combat power.