When Captain Ruchi Sharma joined the army at the age of 20, she often faced questions on her career choice, as people wondered if women had a place in the Indian Army.
Yet, she overcame doubts even among her superiors within the army, to become India's first female operational paratrooper in 1996, four years after women were allowed into select non-combat roles on an "experimental basis".
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
