‘Didn’t expect a bed of roses, but the armed forces groomed me’

Her journey in the Indian Army began at a time when cadets still marched in traditional sarees to become officers. Clad in a smart uniform with her hair tied up in a bun, Lieutenant General Madhuri Kanitkar (AVSM, VSM) asked everyone,“how’s the Josh?” and her voice reverberated inside NCC auditorium in Delhi, which was recently filled with cadets and officers attending the screening of film Women of Honour: Destination

Army, by National Geographic India, ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8).

Sharing how the armed forces are gradually seeing an increase in female youngsters, the officer opines, “A soldier doesn’t have a gender! Gender is in our minds, and our gender is our power.”

In her service spanning over 37 years, in the capacity of a medical professional, she says life hasn’t been easy, but she didn’t bow down either. “When you’re working in any job, the challenge is to balance your family and professional life,” she says, adding, “Today, the Army’s processes are pro women; postings are helped out. I stand here as an empowered woman because I’ve the support of army and my husband.”

When she joined the force, a field dominated by male presence, she decided not to over think in order to prepare herself. “I was not expecting a bed of roses. There were difficult times, but the armed forces groomed me. It’s an organisation which toughens you and gives you an opportunity to become an officer, remain a lady and practice your profession,” she says.