India witnessed a remarkable Republic Day in 2015. India’s 66th Republic Day was audience to women with iron- strength determination and grit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the theme of ‘Nari Shakti’ (Woman Power) for the defence services and its contingents. Owing to this, the three services- Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force gave due focus to their women warriors. This day was more memorable for it was the first time that a US President was the Chief Guest at an Indian Republic Day ceremony. Needless to say, the day proved to be monumental for India and its proud heritage.
The 66th Republic Day celebrations marked a historical moment for the Defence Services. It was the first time that the three wings of the Indian Defence Forces, namely the Army, Navy, and Air Force, had all- women contingents proudly marching down Rajpath in all their glory. This Republic Day set the ball rolling for women empowerment. A good example to prove this would be Captain Haobam Bella Devi, a 24 year old feisty officer of the Indian Army who was asked to perform an important ritual three years later, on 26th January 2015.
As per customs of the Parade each year, once the Commanding Officer of the President’s Bodyguard gives command for salute, the President of India takes position at the podium along with the Chief Guest. The national flag is then unfurled and a grand 21- gun salute is given. Captain Haobam Bella Devi (then Lieutenant) was assigned the responsibility of unfurling the Tricolour at Rajpath at the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on 26th January, 2015.It must have been a proud moment for Captain Devi, who performed this prestigious ceremonial act.
Captain Haobam originally belongs to Manipur, although now the whole country is her home. It is wisely said that Indian Army officers cannot be ascribed terms like UPites, or South Indians, or Kashmiris et al. They are Indians, as they belong to the whole of the country and not any one state. Captain Devi herself is no stranger to the Force. She is a second generation Army Officer in the Ordnance Corps. She is the proud daughter of Colonel Haobam Gojendro Singh and Haobam Ongbi Neeta Devi.
This inspirational woman is full of substance. Her accomplishments began early in life. In January 2011, twenty year old Haobam Bella Devi won a beauty pageant hosted by Ordinance Club, Kolkata at Hasting Club’s Ground, beating 16 other final contestants. She was crowned the ‘Winter Queen’. She was then a 2nd year student of Communicative English at Shri Shikshayatan College, Kolkata. Her focus though, was very clear from the beginning. In response to winning the beauty title, she said-
“I am very happy to have won this pageant but my dream is to join the Army.”
The 24 year old has always considered her father to be her role model, and thus it wasn’t surprising for anyone to know that she wanted to follow his footsteps and serve the nation. She stood out everywhere she went. In fact, within eighteen months of her commission into the Indian Army, she was entrusted with this prestigious duty at the Parade.
The ceremony she performed is not a trivial one. It marks a critical moment for the whole celebration. Not to forget, she had the responsibility of handling our national flag, which must be treated with utmost care and respect. It must have taken a good amount of confidence in herself to stay resolute and poised as she did at the Parade celebrations.
During the run- ups, she had practiced the procedure rigorously with another officer. She described it as follows:
“There is a whole procedure and ceremony as far as the flag is concerned… How it is put up, how it is tied, how it goes up, how it is folded. I learnt everything about it.”
She feels that there are very ladies from the North- East who get motivated enough to join the Indian Army, though many girls get their inspiration from this accomplished officer’s journey. She believes that Army is not a profession, but a way of life; and this is what she tells these girls too! She hopes that more and more girls may join the armed forces, where she believes they will be provided with infinite opportunities to grow both on professional and personal levels.
Women like Captain Haobam Bella Devi fill India’s heart with pride and joy. We salute their spirit and their will to excel. We also hope that as time progresses, we come across millions like her.
