Kochi: For the first time in the history of
armed forces, two women aviators were inducted into the Navy
on Friday thus breaking yet another male bastion.
The officers--Sub Lieutenant Seema Rani Sharma and Sub
Lieutenant Ambica Hooda were awarded the 'Wings' by Rear
Admiral Sudhir Pillai, Flag Officer Naval Aviation, at an
impressive ceremonial Parade at the INS Garuda here.
This is for the first time that Naval Aviation, 56 years
after its inception, has inducted women combatant officers as
Observers on board its fleet of Maritime Patrol Aircraft
(MPA).
Sharma and Hooda, the Navy's first women observers
(airborne tacticians), were selected for Short Service
Commission and initially trained at the Indian Naval Academy
for naval Orientation Course followed by Observer School
located at INS Garuda here.
"This is a great and proud moment for us, including our
instructors and parents," Ambica, who hails from Haryana,
said.
"The entire training period was a great challenge both
mentally and physically. But never at any stage did we think
of giving up. We enjoyed the training throughout," she told
reporters here.
Seema, who is from Uttar Pradesh, said "we would give it
back to our service whatever we have learned. This is our
ambition in life from now onwards".
Commanding officer of INS Garuda, Captain Vijesh Kumar
Garg, said it was really a proud moment for Indian Navy to
have the two women officers.
"They have undergone all the training programmes given in
the Observer course, including ground and flying training
besides sea, jungle and survival training which was very
demanding," Garg said.
Hooda was adjudged the best trainee in flying of the
First Short Service Commission observer course.
During their 16 month training period, they went through
a "grinding" schedule which included Air Navigation,
understanding complex maritime environment, tactics of naval
warfare besides flying training in state-of-the-art
sophisticated Dornier aircraft.
Six naval officers of the 70th Observer course and four
officers of the First Short Service Commission observer
course, including the two women officers, completed their
course.
Addressing the parade, Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai said
the country was acquiring the state-of-the-art airborne
platforms, potent weapons and the best of the sensors for the
Navy and it was for the observers to exploit them in the best
possible way. He also exhorted them to be fully conscious of
their role as the 'Eyes and Ears of the fleet'.
Lieutant Abhishek Pathak of the 70th Ab-initio observer
course and Sub Lt Ajay Rajpurohit of 1st short service
commission observer course were adjudged the best all round
observers of their respective courses.
Lt Mohammed Wahidullah was adjudged best in ground training
in the 70th Ab-initio observer course.
All the graduated officers would join different squadrons
of the Navy, where they would fly maritime patrol aircraft and
helicopters.
PTI
First Published: Friday, November 20, 2009, 18:28