The woman who bashed patriarchal norms and flew into the skies of Indian Army is now ranked as the Lieutenant General.

Our palms deliberately reach the forehead to salute when we see the people in uniforms. Such is the respect we carry for them and that respect, we haven't given them, THEY OWNED IT. 

More often, we see men braving their lives out for the cause of the nation, standing at the borders, combating with the soldiers and driving home courage and valor. But, for their women counterparts, to achieve the same thing, it requires lot more than what a man needs. For a man to join the armed forces, he gets enough support from his family and friends. Ironically, nature also stands by him by supporting him with the biological requirements. But is it the same with women? The first and foremost hurdle for a woman who wants to join the Army comes at her house. No one wants their daughter to stand at the borders, serve the nation or at least roam around the country on postings. The next hurdle comes as naturally occurring biological changes in the form of menstruation, child birth, early parenting etc. The same amount of effort that a man puts on to this tough job is also put by her along with crossing such inevitable barriers. Then, one day, when such women reach the apex, it needs more than just a salute to respect her. That respect can be shown by drawing inspiration from them and by more young girls choosing and walking their path. One such woman who broke the barriers and walked her dream out to reach the peaks of pride is Lieutenant General Madhuri Kanitkar, the third woman to have secured this ranking in the Indian Armed Forces.

Rising Up The Ladder:

The only doctor on the Prime Minister's STIAC (S&T) Innovation Advisory Committee was ranked as the Lieutenant General and took charge as the Deputy Chief, Integrated Defence Staff under the command of the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.

She became the third woman to hold the three-star rank in the Indian Armed Forces after Vice Dr. Admiral Punita Arora from the Indian Navy and the Air Marshal Dr. Padmavathy Bandopadhyay. Dr.Kanitkar is also the first trained pediatric nephrologist serving in the armed forces.

A Woman With A Firm Will:

Life was never a bed of roses for this dynamic lady. The challenges she faced in terms of convincing her father and getting into her favourite college to pursue medicine, all seemed to give her what she desired for. She set targets what many considered to be out of reach and worked her spine out to achieve them.