Female Fighter Pilots in IAF: Implementing Netaji’s Vision of Women Empowerment
By
/ November 25, 2015 
Putting the bread on the table and keeping the wolf away from the door had traditionally been considered a man’s prerogative all over the world while a woman was to take care of the home, raise a family and remain in the background much of the time. Things began to change in the western countries with the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Women there started taking baby steps by foraying into occupations and professions that had thus far remained male bastions. Over a period of time, they started breaking glass ceilings at a furious pace. However, their counterparts in the developing countries were still being considered best suited for supportive and backup roles in man’s quest for excellence. In other words, women got to play second fiddle.
It was only by around the mid-twentieth century that the walls of gender inequalities started crumbling in a big way in the face of fast emerging feminism. Nevertheless, combat role in the armed forces proved to be a much elusive chimera for women cutting across the nations. With the exceptions of Turkey and the erstwhile USSR, women pilots of other countries were denied entry into the combat stream, which was one of the few glass ceilings that remained unbroken by women, not for want of trying nor due to lack of qualifications or capability. Soon blank spaces in this segment also started filling up in many developed and some developing countries during the 1990s. However, India decided to join the elite club of nations that boast of women fighter pilots only recently, with the Ministry of Defence approving induction of women into the Fighter (Combat) Stream in October 2015.
Yet Another Glass Ceiling Broken
While the first batch of Indian women will commence their training as fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force by June 2016, in another year following that, we will start seeing the first Indian women combat pilots in the cockpits of frontline fighter jets of the Air Force. This development augurs well for the nation in more ways than one. First of all, this Defence Ministry decision is in keeping with the aspirations of the Indian women who have never lagged behind their male compatriots in the freedom struggle as well as in the task of nation-building. In the matter of defending the country’s unity and integrity from external aggression, however, their position had thus far been limited to providing support and background operations. Members of the 100-strong contingent of women pilots in IAF have been serving as transport and helicopter pilots.
The landmark decision that has fructified after years of debates, discussions, bureaucratic hurdles, closed political mindsets, litigations and reviews, has not only resulted in the breaking of yet another glass ceiling by the Indian woman but also in the waxing of her aspirations for career enhancement like in the case of her counterpart in several other countries like the US, the UK, Israel, the UAE and, closer home, Pakistan. Till recently, it had been argued by the experts and decision makers as well as a section of the public that the question of a woman pilot being available round the clock during combats was a big question mark on account of the constraints confronting her in terms of biological, physiological and psychological conditions, including pregnancy. Together, the doubts, misgivings and uncertainties weakened her case. Besides, there was the morbid fear of the possible scenario of a woman pilot being taken as a prisoner in combat and subjected to torture with a vicious focus on her gender. “Think of what can happen if a woman is taken a prisoner in a combat operation,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said in Pune in May this year.
Responding to a question in the Parliament earlier this year, the Minister had said that women personnel in the armed forces were not being deployed for combat operations and on naval warships as it had not been encouraged by the studies conducted in 2006 by the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQIDS) and in 2011 by the High Level Tri-Services Committee. The previous governments had maintained the same line. Eventually, however, the arguments against the proposal to allow women pilots’ entry into the fighter stream were found specious. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who had said as recently as last year that women were not physically suited to fly fighter planes, said while addressing the Air Force Day function at the Hindon Air Base in October this year, that he had “no doubt” that women could become fighter pilots. The diametrically opposite viewpoint taken by the Chief of Air Staff heralded in the shift in perception of the IAF and the government.
Court Orders and Crunching Numbers
The government has also announced that it has undertaken a comprehensive review of induction of women in short service as well as the permanent commission. Besides the change in the government’s perception of a woman’s role in the armed forces, there were other factors at play that resulted in its downshifting of the gear. The Delhi High Court ruled in 2010 that women should be allowed to hold permanent commissions in the Army and Air Force since female officers “deserve better from the government.” In another recent case filed by female naval officers, the High Court ruled that it would “frown upon any endeavor to block the progress of women” in the military. The government’s negative stance held thus far was further weakened by an April 2015 report of a parliamentary committee that pressed the panic button regarding a critical shortage of pilots faced by the IAF. The cumulative effect of the moral high ground taken by the Judiciary and the startling revelation by a parliamentary committee had the salutary effect – women pilots in the IAF got an equal opportunity to prove their mettle in combats alongside their male compatriots.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Vision
No pathbreaking human endeavour is feasible unless it is dreamt, conceived, nurtured and its seed allowed to germinate under propitious conditions by a zealous mind. Such was the case with the momentous decision of allowing women pilots to join the combat stream in IAF too. Here it is worth recalling that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who spearheaded India’s armed resistance against colonial occupation, not only visualized the Indian women in combat gear but also contributed to its transformation into reality.
Getting Practical
Netaji was a pioneer among the leaders of the freedom movement to envision women as social activists and reformers capable of independent thinking and contributing to the task of nation building. He was confident that modern Indian woman would break the mould of the traditional Indian woman’s image as Sita or Savitri, the epitome of feminine grace and repository of noble virtues. He saw the modern Indian woman as Durga, the slayer of evil forces. To him, a woman’s gender was a mere detail of her personality and not a hurdle or constraint that would ever come in her way of redeeming her aspirations. His concept of empowerment of women was not merely a lofty principle that figured in his speeches and writings. He had a practical plan of action too which was put to use as part of his strategy to achieve the ultimate goal of the country’s independence. The course of action which he pursued in the process of empowerment of women was not only progressive but also one which was evidently far ahead of his time.
Unlike Mahatma Gandhi and his band of Congress leaders who saw a role for the woman limited to supporting the Independence Movement by remaining within the family circle, Netaji saw for her a larger role that transcended constraints of family and was not hamstrung by any limitations. This was, he professed, feasible only when women had access to education, which allowed them to think for themselves. Just as he broke up with the Congress that he had served as party President, he advocated women severance from their past lives and throwing themselves headlong into the process of empowering themselves as part of the armed struggle for independence. Nobody was going to empower them but themselves, just as the colonial forces were not going to grant independence on their own volition and had to be vanquished on the ground. “Equip yourself with education and be ready to pluck the opportunity to empower yourself as a fellow freedom fighter in your own right,” was his advice to the Indian woman.
Women Combatants in INA
Netaji’s idea of empowerment of women was not a vacuous theory or a hollow doctrine. In the Indian National Army (INA), which he raised to fight the colonial imperialism, he had an entire 600-strong all-women contingent appropriately named the Rani of Jhansi Regiment headed by Capt Lakshmi Swaminathan (Sehgal). The troops of the regiment bore arms, including machine guns, and played the role of combat forces while not helping with nursing. They were well-trained in real earnest in all areas of combat including range practice and bayonet training along with male troops.
Self-Help
Empowerment of women was for Netaji a state policy and women’s education a priority area. He wanted the State to provide women not only free primary education but education at all levels, including spiritual and moral, as well as physical and vocational training. He exhorted women’s rights groups to spread education and awareness among women in rural areas and remote urban areas like slums about the evils of ancient taboos like purdah and encourage them to venture into male-dominated areas of social development. He wanted women to champion their own cause of empowerment. He wanted the State to accord equal rights to women and men in all areas and all respects and also have a separate department for women’s upliftment.
Women in Provisional Government of Free India
Netaji’s ideas on women were so revolutionary that as part of the Provisional Government of Free India in South East Asia (Azad Hind Government), a separate women’s department was constituted by him. Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan (Sehgal) who was the Chief of the Rani Jhansi Regiment was given the dual charge as Minister for Women’s Affairs. The Women’s Department had a separate wing to deal with the training of women as social activists. Members of the wing were tasked with visiting neighbouring plantations and slums in South-East Asia and train the women inhabitants in areas such as better health, nutrition and sanitation. They also taught rural women the basics of childcare and related matters. The Women’s Department included a Health and Welfare Department, which had a team of doctors, nurses and welfare workers. The Government had a Planning Commission mandated with the task of conducting research in areas where it could benefit from women’s contribution.
In Quest of Women Empowerment
In short, Netaji walked the talk and practised what he preached. He did yeoman’s service by spreading awareness among Indian women of their real potential, which enabled them to vie with men for honours in contributing to the advancement of the nation and betterment of the society. This was a remarkable accomplishment considering the fact that our country had been languishing under colonial occupation for hundreds of years, having to rediscover its cultural moorings of the glorious past when women were equal partners with men in literary and intellectual pursuits. Women who had been kept in the background under the protection of men for their own good in the toxic atmosphere of conflicting cultures during colonial occupation, needed a gentle nudge from social reformers and leaders of the Independence Movement to be convinced of their capability, flair and prowess to match the contribution of the menfolk in the redemption of the nation’s lost glory.
Subhas Bose was the one among India’s freedom fighters who provided the gentle nudge and, as a good measure, practical guidance to the women who had just stepped out of their sheltered life and the complacent nature of the lifestyle that it offered. He gave women not just representation but pride of place in the government he had formed and the army that he had raised. He gave them substantial roles to play and tasks to perform like spreading awareness of sanitation, health, education and empowerment of women among the socially backward and less privileged of the society in East Asia. It was with the aim of carrying forward his ideas for a much larger role for women in free India that he set up the Planning Commission dedicated to the development of women’s cause.
He advised women’s groups not to avoid politics but to become a part of it. Trailblazing indeed would have been the shape of things to emerge if only he had been victorious in his armed struggle and lived to implement his scheme of things including the one concerning empowerment of women. Although this was not to be the case as the course of events spanned out, the spark of his revolutionary thoughts about women empowerment was good enough to fire up the imagination of today’s Indian women. Not content with the laudable role they have been playing in all civilian walks of life, they had been knocking at the doors of the defence establishment to be permitted into the combat stream in the IAF. The doors of the fighter aircraft’s cockpit have at last been opened unto them. With this development, Netaji’s vision about the Indian woman’s donning the mantle of combat glory has materialized, thanks to woman’s self-help to empowerment just as he had foreseen.
Going the Whole Hog
Notwithstanding the judicial rulings and the review of its stand by the Union government, women in the Armed Forces still have a long way to go before they are accorded equal opportunities in all respects and all streams without prejudice to their gender. It is only when the government goes the whole hog in all three Defence Services that Netaji’s vision would have materialized in its entirety. Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether women fighter pilots are actually given missions as daunting and forbidding as are assigned to their male compatriots by the IAF in real wars.
Strange to hear that women in Pakistan can fly in combat operations. If this is the case then previous defence ministries should be ashamed that they did not pursue this. Manohar Parriker is a brilliant minister I must say.
Good evening Sunil Gupta Ji, your articles are very good. They are informative and thought provoking. Giving a comprehensive picture on many current events and topics. I look forward to see many more such articles from you .
Dhanyavad Ji
Our fighter planes are not secure enough to fly because they are imported from cheap suppliers and corruption in defence procuremtn is not a new subject. Government should look into this as well.
Women are pride and privilege of every family , society ,state and nation
Traditional approach in India was to protect women and womenism at any cost as they are not only physical contributor to the qty strength of nation but fundamentals of every wealth
In view of protect every woman they were kept away from enemies reach at any cost ( cost could be her own life even)
As a gravest situation management ,
Johars were voluntarily performed by our brave women
We need to view the traditional convention in its right situational perspective and not with spects and streams
Conspuriously thrown by worlds vested interest
You know what the Indian Air Force has acute shortage of pilots which is why they had to consider inducting women in this role. Anyways, the move will bring a sense of devotion among women who wanted this for long, also they deserve this.
Happy to see the efforts towards empowering Indian women. Now the country also needs a truly women-centric rape law where a woman has not to go through embarrasement during hearings and while filing complaints.
Today when there is an increasing threat to the country from everywhere it was crucial that women are made part of the Airfoce Pilots squad. They have the strength to fight any force acting against the sovereignty of India.
The step as you have described is appreciable but we are yet to see how women get trained for this. And there are no offences like sexual harassment during training sessions. May sound rude but this is a fact.
If Netaji had become Indian PM then we would have been a different country altogether. He was declared as Indian Head at Andaman and Nicobar islands but that could not continue for long. INC and not INA should be blamed for this.
Women in combat missions! It is a good thinking but you put it correct what about mensuration cycles and days of pregnancy and shortage of staff? Not every work of enabling women means that they are getting self-dependant.
This is what people do not expect from BJP government yet they deliver. Now no one will say that women are getting empowered under BJP rule, rather they will allege intolerance and violence. Women rights are recognised so they be thankful to BJP.
Dear writer not all credit goes to the current government, the Delhi High Court has also played a major role in this, which I appreciate you have mentioned in your writing. Good conclusion in the end by you. All hails for PM Modi.
Congratulation Dr Gupta
I have read this. I believe here in the US we sum it up to our Constitutional right for equality and freedom…even if many have disputed the later.
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I will learn lots of new stuff right here. Best of luck for the next.
Simply wish to say your article is as amazing. The clearness in your post is simply excellent and i could assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.
This was an incredibly wonderful post. Thanks for providing these details.
Hi friends, nice piece of writing and good arguments commented at this place, I am in fact enjoying by these.
I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and keep checking for brand new information.
What a beautifully drafted article which has all the important points still its not boring.
Information provided by you is of great help. Will likely be back to get more. Thank you
Thank you for some other magnificent post. Where else could anybody get that kind of information in such a perfect manner of writing. I have a presentation subsequent week, and I am on the look for such information.
This is a jaw-dropping information. Well done on your research and presentation.
Totally astound by the way you dealt with the issue. Thoroughly enjoyed
You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject that is been discussed for years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent.
Wanted to inform you that how impressed I have been , since I read your article. Great going
I was inspired by reading your thoughts. And I shall surely be coming back soon to see more of your work.
Expertly researched and written.
Appreciate this post. Will try it out.
Your style is very unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have got the opportunity.
If some one wishes to be updated with most recent technologies therefore he must be pay a quick visit this site and be up to date all the time.
Greetings. Very helpful advice in this particular post.
Hi there. This post could not be written any better. Thank you for sharing.
Way cool. Some very valid points. I appreciate you penning this write-up and the rest of the site is also very good.
An impressive one. Best wishes for the future work.
Amazed to see on such clearly presented write-up with no scope of confusions at all.
I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog
Really informative article post.Thanks Again. Awesome
Amazing blogsite, greetings.
Looking forward to read more of your stuff.
Having read this I thought it was really enlightening.
A very impressive article, something worthy of being proud of.
I am happy to find this article on web. Very informative.
Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog.
I am highly impressed with the think tank that you possess. I wonder how 1 man can have so much of knowledge
Way cool. Some extremely valid points. I appreciate you writing this post plus the rest of the website is really good.
This is a great start I must say you have a long way to go and great heights to reach.
I am very happy I found this in my hunt for something relating to this.
Rather nice post, i certainly enjoy this internet site, keep on it
You are very intelligent. You already know the significance in the case of this matter. You post consider numerous angles of information. Your own stuff is excellent.
Good day. I just would like to give you a big thumbs up for your excellent information you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
The structure of the composition is good,buttry to make sure the word order in your sentences is correct.
Having read this I thought it was extremely enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!|
An outstanding share.
I do accept as true with all of the ideas you have introduced for your post. They are very convincing and will certainly work.Thank you for the post.
You seem to be blessed with a perfect blend of good vocabulary and good writing. Thoroughly admired your work.
There is certainly a lot to know about this issue. I love all of the points you have made
Fantastic put up, very informative. I wonder why the opposite experts of this sector do not understand this. You must continue your writing. I am confident, you have a huge readers base already.
Hurrah, that is what I was seeking for, what a material. present here at this web site, thanks Dr gupta for this post.
Oh my goodness. Incredible article dude. Thank you
I started to read your article and it caught me to the extent that I could not put it down. Amazing piece.
We look forward to reading many more thoughts of yours , and wish you the success that you deserve.
Your style is unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from.
Hello very cool website. Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds additionally.I am glad to search out numerous useful information here within the publish, we need work out extra techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
I am not certain the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I must spend some time finding out much more or working out more. Thanks for great info I was searching for this info for my mission.
I am amazed, ? m?st say. Rarely ?o I c?m? acr?ss a blog that is botth equally educative ?nd amusing, and ?ithout ? doubt, ?ou have hit t?e nail on the head. The problem ?s something wh?ch not enough folks ??? speaking intelligently ?bout. I am ?ery happy that I stumbled across ?is ?uring my search fo? somethning relating to t??s.
You have made some decent points there.
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you need to publish more about this subject, it may not be a taboo subject but typically folks do not discuss these subjects. To the next. Many thanks..
I am sure they will be benefited from this web site.
Good post. I am dealing with many of these issues as well..
I just want to mention I am all new to weblog and truly savored this blog site. Likely I want to bookmark your blog . You actually have terrific articles. With thanks for sharing with us your web site.
I like the way you put thoughts forward
I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.
it is hard to come by well-informed people on this subject, but you seem like you know what You are talking about. Thanks
Hello there. This blog post could not be written much better. Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate. He constantly kept talking about this. I will send this information to him. Fairly certain he will have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing.
Excellent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous too and You are just too magnificent.
Everyone loves it when individuals come together and share ideas. Great site, continue the good work.
Excellent article. We are linking to this great content on our site. Keep up the great writing.
I do agree with all the ideas you have offered on your post. They are very convincing and can definitely work. Thank you for the post.
This a wonderful blog submit. It is so nice when persons appreciate all that you do.
Hi there, yeah this post is genuinely nice and I have learned lot of things from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.
Great blog you have got here.. it is difficult to find high quality writing like yours these days. I truly appreciate people like you. Take care..
I wish to say that this article is amazing, nice written and come with approximately all important infos. I would like to see more posts like this .
It was so awesome of you to take out time and express your thoughts on a topic so different.
Very well written. Looking forward for your next informative work.
Hello. I simply want to give you a huge thumbs up for the great info you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your site for more soon.
Just wanted to say how much we appreciate the tremendous amount of hard work and effort you all put in to producing this website. It is a great credit to everyone and I am sure will be a great success.
I gotta favorite this internet site it seems very useful very helpful
Way cool. Some extremely valid points. I appreciate you penning this post and the rest of the website is really good.
I am very happy to find this web site. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read. I definitely liked every little bit of it and i also have you saved to fav to see new information in your site.
Congratulations Dr Gupta in the setting up of your attractive, informative and very professional website. Well done.
Hello my friend. I wish to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include almost all important infos. I would like to peer extra posts like this .
Terrific article. That is the type of information that are supposed to be shared around the net.
Article looks great and really inspires me to come back to your website regularly.
This is a great tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information… Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read post.
Your article has been an inspiration to me. It has given me hope. Keep up the good work.
Heartiest congratulations on the brilliant result of your hardwork.
Ahaa, its pleasant dialogue about this piece of writing at this place at this weblog, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting here.
Very nice article. I definitely appreciate this website.Stick with it.
Good article. We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site.
Thanks for your marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you might be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back very soon. I want to encourage you continue your great writing, have a nice evening!
I used to be able to find good information from your blog posts.
Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I have really loved browsing your weblog posts. In any case I will be subscribing on your rss feed and I hope you write once more very soon.