Lt Commander Disha Amrith; the Female Officer, led the Naval Contingent in the Republic Day Parade

Lt Commander Disha Amrith, a female naval air operations official assigned to a key base, led the Indian Navy’s Republic Day contingent of 144 young sailors, and the tableau will depict the ‘Nari Shakti’ in full force. According to Navy officials, three women and five male Agniveers took part in the march at Kartavya Path. Aside from Disha Amrith, another female officer, Sub Lt Valli Meena S, will be one of the navy contingent’s three platoon leaders.

Disha is the daughter of Amrith Kumar and Leela Amrith, who live in the city’s Tilak Nagar neighbourhood in Boloor. She had always wanted to be a naval officer since she was a child. She did her primary and secondary school at Canara Educational Institution. She joined the NCC while still in high school. Because there was no NCC unit in Canara at the time, she was trained at St Aloysius College.

Disha took part in multiple rounds of Indian Navy eligibility examinations. Despite some setbacks, she did not give up on her goal and dream, and she was hired as a Dornier aircraft air operation officer in the Indian Navy. She is currently serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the Indian Navy in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Disha enlisted in the Indian Navy in 2016. After completing her training, she was assigned to Andaman & Nicobar in 2017. She also flew Dornier planes and participated in some operations.

“Since 2008, I was nurturing this dream of being part of the Republic Day contingent of the Armed forces. It is an amazing opportunity that the Indian Navy has given me (to lead the naval contingent),” she said.

The Mangaluru-born officer joined the Navy in 2016 and was sent to a critical naval base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after finishing her training in 2017.

“I am an aviator for Dornier aircraft and have been carrying out sorties in the plane,” she said.

When asked about the difficulties that women encounter in the military, Amrith stated, “I became stronger physically, emotionally, and now I am more self-driven.” The Indian Navy’s famed brass band of 80 musicians, directed by M Antony Raj, will perform the Indian Navy Song ‘Jai Bharti’.

It should be noted that Divya Ajith led the first all-female contingent in the Republic Day parade in 2015. Although women still do not have an equal presence in the military forces, more women have been featured in parades in recent years.