With the deployment of Captain Shiva Chauhan at Siachen another glorious chapter has been added regarding the contribution of women in the Indian Armed Forces. A journey has been completed which started in 1888 with the induction of women nurses and doctors in the Indian Military Nursing Services till 1992 when women finally got the Women Special Entry Scheme with a maximum of five years which was later modified to fourteen years in 2006, subsequently in 2008 permanent commission was granted to women in non-battlefield areas like Army Education Corps. In 2015 women got inducted as pilots in all three wings of the armed forces but forward-position infantry is still out of bounds. Consistent roles of responsibilities are being shared by women but the posting of Captain Shiva at the highest battlefield of the world holds a special significance and achievement. To serve at the toughest terrains of the world at 20,000ft altitude is beyond everyone’s capability as such requires special attention and mention. The kind of rigorous tests to be endured is not easy for even the fittest of men in uniform and to pass out these with flying colours is indeed a splendid achievement. Belonging to the land of battles, Rajasthan, an engineer by education and now part of the Engineering Regiment, losing her father at an early age but still excelling in studies and later on at Officers Training Academy shows her grooming, resolve and of course her mettle. Fighting spirit, with a dream to do something for her country, has been her strength and with this feat, she has made every Indian woman proud of themselves. Year after year girls outshine boys in results, more and more women getting inducted into UPSC and now icing on the cake is the success story of Captain Shiva Chauhan. The achievement of a lone woman serving at such an extreme height shoulder to shoulder sharing responsibilities with all other men present is a feeling beyond description.
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