Republic Day 2023: From assisting the President to leading a contingent, Air Force women officers to take centre stage

The Indian Airforce, which serves the country with a maximum of 13.69% women officers, has broken down barriers by integrating women who carry out all duties on an equal footing with their male colleagues.

According to a Defence Ministry statement, female officers will take center stage on Republic Day 2023, from assisting the President to unfurl the National Flag to leading an Air Force contingent.

Assisting President Murmu to unfurl the National Flag

“The proceedings of the Republic Day Parade at Kartavyapath will commence with the unfurling of the National Flag and presenting of the Rashtriya Salute to the Hon’ble President of India. The President would be assisted in the unfurling of the National Flag by Flt Lt Komal Rani,” said the Defence Ministry, in an official statement.

Leading a Contingent

Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy will lead a contingent of air warriors along with three supernumerary officers: Flt Lt Ayush Agarwal, Flt Lt Tanuj Mailk and Flt Lt Pradhan Nikhil.

These officers will lead a contingent consisting of four officers and 144 air warriors marching in a box formation of 12 Rows x 12 Columns who have been selected through a stringent process from across the Air Force. The contingent undergoes an intensive practice session every day starting in the early hours of the day, the statement said.

The marching tunes for the contingent will be played by the Air Force Band contingent consisting of 72 musicians and three drum majors. The band would be led by Warrant Ashok Kumar who has the distinction of participating in the RD Parade Airforce band contingent for the past 26 years and leading the contingent for the past 16 years.

Naari Shakti Tableau

Highlighting the role played by women officers in the Air Force, the Ministry noted, “ IAF has also transcended traditional boundaries by inducting women who undertake all tasks equally with their male counterparts. In doing so, the IAF has become the lead Service in promoting Naari Shakti in its true spirit.”

IAF Tableau is set to be on the theme of “Indian Air Force: Power Beyond Boundaries”. A Rotating Globe placed on the Air Force’s Tableau highlights the expanded reach through which it has been able to deliver humanitarian aid across borders, along with flying exercises conducted with the “Air Forces of Friendly Foreign Countries”.

The Republic Day Parade will also feature a flypast from 45 IAF aircraft including Dhwaj (Type Mi-17 1V/V5), Rudra (ALH Mk IV/WSI), Prachand (LCH + Apache + ALH MK-IV), Baaz (MiG-29), and Tiranga (ALH (Sarang) among others.