Women NDA Cadets Opt For Crew Cuts Despite It Not Being Mandatory

The women cadets at the National Defence Academy (NDA) based in Khadakwasla, Maharashtra have chosen to sport military-style crew cuts like their male counterparts.

According to officers, the women NDA cadets opted for crew cuts like their male counterparts for ease of training and to better fit into the armed forces.

NDA began inducting women for the first time in July 2022 and the women cadets are allowed to keep "choice-based short hair".

NDA only allowed male cadets until the Supreme Court passed a landmark order which opened the doors of the academy to women.

The entry of women into the NDA required new infrastructure, separate physical training standards, and other gender-specific changes at the NDA.

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Women NDA Cadets Opt For Crew Cuts

At the Khadakwasla branch of the NDA, female cadets are allowed to keep "choice-based short hair or tie it in a bun (for Sikh trainees)".

The officer said, "Despite the option of choice-based short hair, most women trainees at different academies have their hair cut to strict military standards."

The officer added that when the cadets are training for long hours and have tight schedules, they feel "it just works better" to have hair which adheres to the military standards.

Lieutenant Colonel Anu Randhawa, who retired in 2021 after 20 years in the army said, "When you are training, you are always short of time. Female cadets opt for crew cuts for effective time management, and the hair also fits well in the beret".

The other training academies across the country have their own rules for how women are required to wear their hair. At the Officers Training Academy based in Chennai, short hair is compulsory for all, except for Sikh cadets who are permitted to keep a bun.

The first batch of female cadets at the NDA had 19 women who joined earlier this year. As per reports by Hindustan Times, only one quit training for personal reasons.

The second batch of women NDA cadets is expected to begin training in early January.