To Be Different And To Dare: Women Navy Officers Onboard Naval Tanker INS Shakti

Two women officers onboard INS Shakti, India's naval tanker, speak about their role on the warship in a recently released video. Women officers have been deployed in warships after over two decades by the Indian Navy. The video was released in order to encourage more women to join the Indian Navy, on the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8.

The women officers deployed onboard INS Shakti also included a doctor. According to her,  "Indian Navy allows me to be both doctor and a soldier. I carry both the noble professions with pride."

#WATCH Two Indian Navy women officers deployed onboard the Indian naval tanker INS Shakti talk about their role on the warship on #InternationalWomensDay. Women officers have been deployed in warships after over two decades by the Indian Navy

(Video source: Indian Navy) pic.twitter.com/eVc4gNfkEj

— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2021

Speaking on how working with the Indian Navy has changed her life, the second woman officer onboard INS Shakti says is the video, "They say, women can't have it all, but I say, dare to be different. Indian Navy gave me the opportunity to be different and to dare."

"Four Indian Navy women officers have been deployed recently on warships in recent times. Two of them are posted on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya while two other are deployed on the tanker ship INS Shakti, " India Navy's spokesperson told ANI.

In October last year, the Indian Navy operationalised its first batch of women pilots on Dornier Aircraft by the Southern Naval Command (SNC) at Kochi. "The three women pilots were part of the six pilots of the 27th Dornier Operational Flying Training (DOFT) Course, who graduated as “Fully operational Maritime Reconnaissance (MR) Pilots’ at a passing out ceremony held at INS Garuda, Kochi on October 22," read the statement from Indian Navy.

In September 2020, two women officers became were deployed on Navy warships to operate as specialists onboard Navy helicopters, breaking yet another glass ceiling. Read more on that here.