By Bikram Vohra
The famous military preparatory school, the Rashtriya Indian Military College or as it is familiarly known, RIMC, adds an extra dimension to its history by opening its doors to girls after class VII to prepare them for a career in the military. This decision was taken after the premier institution in India, the National Defence Academy in Khadakvasla also opened its admission for female cadets. The first batch of five girls will be inducted into the student-faculty in July.
Colonel Ajay Kumar announced this at the Centennial Founders Day celebrations of the RIMC in the presence of over 500 veterans and cadets and their family members. This is not the first time that girls have been admitted into this college. In 1992 the college admitted its first girl, but the admission was discontinued. It is encouraging to see that as many as 568 girls applied for these five positions. This shows the high level of interest in women for picking up a career in uniform.
It’s pretty much on the cards that there will be a manifold increase in the number of women who wish to pursue such a career in a few short years, and one can imagine a replica of the NDA for women being only becoming a reality. As it is, we have seen thousands of girls taking part in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and handling themselves in what can only be called grace under fire.
Studies have shown that women are equally courageous, skilled and capable of tactical thinking when tackling a problem either in theory or on the field. By the same token, they score impressively regarding officer-like qualities or taking hardcore decisions. This decision to open up the opportunity to women will only enhance and strengthen the fabric of the armed forces, and one looks forward to many more of them going for this career option.