New Delhi: The world's first all-women
paramilitary pipe band Monday marched to its maiden tune after it got its ceremonial colours under the CRPF at an event here.
Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh presented the
ceremonial 'pipe mace' to the band commander, called 'Major of
Pipes', sub-inspector Darshana Kumari during the 'Valour Day'
celebrations of the CRPF here.
The 23-member band, after being commissioned into the
force, presented a fine display of their music and accorded a
traditional salute to the Minister before getting a word of
praise from their chief-- CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar.
Dressed in Scottish-style tunics, the women have been
picked up from various battalions of the CRPF and will now
undergo rigorous training for few months by band experts
before starting regular performances.
Out of the 23 band players, twelve play the pipes while
five are on the drums while the rest play other musical
instruments.
The CRPF is also credited to have raised the first women
battalion in central police forces way back in 1986.
The 2.5 lakh personnel-strong force presently has three
operational women battalions with headquarters in the national
capital, Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Ajmer in Rajasthan.
The women band will not only play martial and ceremonial
tunes at traditional events, it would also be sent at foreign
duty locations in future.
CRPF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Neetu Bhattacharya,
who was instrumental in putting together the new band squad,
said the band will add few more members in the coming days.
The CRPF, like other central forces and state police
departments, also has its own male band.
PTI
First Published: Monday, April 09, 2012, 14:48