First batch of women cadets from NDA ready take over frontline leadership
May 30 will be a red-letter day for women, for India’s defence establishment, and for the country itself
For Ishita Sangwan, a random phone call from her father while preparing for the JEE was a turning point in her life. Sangwan’s father is a school principal, her mother a teacher, and, at the time, she was studying for the JEE. When she picked up the phone, Sangwan’s father was excitedly telling her that women could finally join the National Defence Academy (NDA), the country’s most elite defence training school.
Three years later, Cadet Ishita Sangwan from Haryana will make history when she takes the salute at the NDA’s graduation ceremony, at its Khadakwasla campus near Pune on May 30. Sangwan and 16 other women cadets will comprise the first-ever batch of women to graduate from this world-class military training academy, alongside 300-odd young men.
May 30 will be a red-letter day for women, for India’s defence establishment, and for the country itself. However, prising open the doors of the NDA came, not from a policy change but on an August 2021 Supreme Court ruling, which directed the government to allow women to take the NDA entrance exam. The first batch was inducted the next year.
The order came almost three decades after women were allowed to serve in select branches of the three services as short-service commission (SSC) officers, and 18 months after the apex court ruled that women officers who joined the Indian Army through SSC, were entitled to permanent commission and command roles.
The first NDA exam open to women was conducted in November 2021. Of the total 570,000 applications, 178,000 were women. Of these, 1,002 women cleared the written exam. Eventually, 17 women candidates were declared successful.
A year later, they strode into the academy, heads held high, to begin their three-year training programme. In this super-elite group, like Cadet Ishita Sangwan, is Cadet Harsimran Kaur, from Gurdaspur in Punjab. “I have a deep association with the armed forces. My father retired as a havildar in the Indian Army. My grandfather also served.”
Reflecting on the journey of women in the NDA, Kaur noted the transformation experienced by women who never imagined they would walk through those hallowed doors. “Change is happening, and it’s for the better,” she said.
For women, change is indeed coming to the defence establishment, slowly but surely. As of February 2021, only months before the Supreme Court’s NDA ruling, 9,118 women were serving in the armed forces. As for the NDA, a total of 126 women cadets have joined the academy since 2023.
Recalling her early days at the NDA, Kaur told HT that changes were made to accommodate the first batch of women cadets. “Initially, we lived in the Cubic Squadron, and the necessary modifications were made to suit the requirements of women cadets,” she said. Over time, the infrastructure evolved to ensure comfort and security, including the construction of women’s washrooms in all academic and training buildings. “From the sixth term, we were shifted to a newly designated squadron with enhanced facilities tailored for us,” she added.
Special features such as fingerprint-based locks and designated spaces were also introduced to ensure privacy and security, reflecting the academy’s commitment to creating a supportive environment for women in uniform.
Cadet Ishita Sharma from Uttarakhand was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in economics when the NDA opened its doors to women. Sharma does not have a defence background – her parents work in the corporate sector and her brother is an IT professional. “Joining the NDA was an opportunity I could not resist and I didn’t think twice before applying. After spending three years at the academy, I can say with confidence that it’s exactly what I had envisioned.”
Sharma excelled at the academy, earning many accolades and the honorary title of ‘Division Cadet Captain (DCC)’ for her outstanding performance across all areas of training.
Of the first batch of 17 women cadets, nine will join the Army, three will join the Navy and the remaining five will join the Air Force. They will head for further training at different academies, depending on their choice of service before getting commissioned as officers.
The NDA, known as the ‘cradle of leadership’ for India’s armed forces, has given the country two chiefs of defence staff and several of its service chiefs, not to mention a long list of officers who have been decorated with the country’s highest military honours. In a few days, Cadet Ishita Sangwan, Cadet Harsimran Kaur, Cadet Ishita Sharma, and 14 other women cadets will join this seminal institution’s list of alumni, going on to serve their country with grit, grace and a commitment to lead from the front.
