The entry of girls into the armed forces has been a sluggish course of, one which has even required judicial intervention. But on the Republic Day parade on Rajpath Wednesday, girls officers, nonetheless few in numbers, stole the present.
While a number of girls officers led marching contingents, one of many highlights of the parade was the presence of the primary girl pilot of the newly inducted Rafale fighter plane.
Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, posted with the No. 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron in Ambala, stood on the deck of the IAF tableau because it rolled previous the saluting base.
Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, India’s first girl pilot to fly the Rafale, on the IAF tableau on the R-Day parade. (Praveen Khanna)
She was the second girl fighter pilot to take part within the Republic Day parade – the primary was Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth who was on the IAF tableau final yr.
From Varanasi, Singh joined the IAF in 2017 and belongs to its second batch of girls fighter pilots. Initially commissioned to fly the MiG-21 Bison, Singh went by conversion coaching to fly the Rafale.
The Navy marching contingent was led by Lieutenant Commander Aanchal Sharma and likewise included Sub Lieutenant Avanthika Duraiswamy. Lieutenant Preeti and her colleague Lt Mayank Bhagour led the Indian Navy tableau.
Lieutenant Manisha Bohra led the Army Ordnance Corps contingent whereas the IAF contingent too had a girl officer — Flight Lieutenant Impanashree KY.
Women from the Border Security Force’s Seema Bhawani bike staff displayed their expertise, performing acrobatics and carrying a placard bearing the message of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.
In the marching contingent of the Sashastra Seema Bal, the 2 Assistant Commandants have been girls officers.
The parade noticed the most important flypast with 75 plane from all three companies to mark 75 years of India’s Independence. For the primary time, viewers got a glimpse of what the pilots of the plane see — the pilot’s view and cockpit’s view have been telecast.
A complete of 24 tableaux have been a part of the parade together with from the armed forces and the DRDO.
The Navy tableau was the primary to return down Rajpath and had two most important themes – one was an outline of the 1946 naval rebellion, and the opposite showcased “atmanirbharta” of the Navy, with a mannequin of the nation’s first indigenous plane provider which will probably be commissioned later this yr and named INS Vikrant.
The IAF tableau, titled ‘Indian Air Force, Transforming for the Future’ had fashions of the MiG-21, Gnat – plane which performed key roles within the victory over Pakistan within the 1971 struggle — Light Combat Helicopter, Rafale and the Aslesha radar.
The DRDO showcased its main platforms titled ‘Suite of Indigenously Developed Sensors, Weapons and Electronic Warfare Systems for LCA Tejas’ and ‘Air Independent Propulsion System’ being developed for Navy submarines.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
