From Ms Daredevil to Mrs Vivacious

Major Ankita Srivastava, who retired last year after 14 years of service in the Indian Army, is jobless; she walked the ramp to cope with post-retirement depression

She gave the best years of her life to serve the country and treaded the path feared by even most men. At the end, Major Ankita Srivastava, who retired last year after 14 years of service in the Indian Army, is now fighting a new enemy depression.

Ankita is jobless and doesn't have money to even buy gifts for her children. "I was from the pioneering batch of women officers and for 14 years lived a soldier's life. But now I find myself nowhere. I am still unemployed with all my experience and status snatched away from me," she said.

Fighter: Ankita Srivastava

The courageous officer, who was second in the merit list when she joined Officer's Training Academy (OTA) in 1993, met many other challenges her way. Married to an Indian Air Force officer, her marriage was almost over after she could not cope with the post-retirement life and slipped into severe clinical depression.  "After retirement, my life took a turn for the worse. I had to visit psychologist to get treated for depression and marriage counselors to save my marriage," she said.

After her retirement in 2008, she got a letter from Minister of State for Defence M Pallam Raju assuring that all the retried women officers will be accommodated in National Cadet Corps (NCC) or in the civilian ranks of the MoD. Though, it remained only on paper. "It's been a year and no action has been taken as yet," she said.

At last, Ankita dared to make her own way. The same year she participated in Mrs Gladrags competition and bagged the crown of Mrs Vivacious. "For 14 years I was living a man's live, but I participated in the beauty pageant. Thanks to the Indian Army that I could gather fighting spirit and learnt to speak, walk and behave like a woman. However, I can't forget that the Army ruined my life," she said.

Bugged with government apathy, Ankita feels women are just a showpiece in the armed forces. "We are inducted into the Army only for the glamour factor. It takes the very best out of us only to leave us stranded when we lose the glamour and gain experience of military life," said the miffed retired officer.

In last one-and-a-half years she has met all the senior officers in Ministry of Defence (MoD) including Defence Minister and Minister of State for Defence only to get their lame assurance that "something will be done to re-employ them."

"Once I got a chance to speak to the personal secretary to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and he also agreed that the armed forces is wasting national potential by sidelining trained women officers," she said.

Like Ankita, crops of young women officers are feeling cheated by the "biased" decision of government, which has agreed to offer permanent commission to future women officer in selective branches.

A young women captain on condition of anonymity, said, "I am an engineer and after serving for two years I have realised that there is no career security in the Army. I joined forces for the pride of being in uniform, which is brutally snatched from us after 14 years. Women officers are not granted the ex-serviceman status and are not entitled to pension."

Some of the women officers who are scheduled to retire this month after completing their tenure have already filed a petition in the Delhi High Court for permanent commission and the next hearing is scheduled to take place on August 21. According to sources, the defence ministry is planning to offer monetary compensation to these officers instead of granting another six years' of job, which makes them eligible for pension. "Even a jawan becomes eligible for pension after 15 years of service. We are not fighting for monetary compensation but for the dignity of being in this uniform," said a serving officer, wishing  anonymity.

Brave heart
Major Ankita Srivastava, who is known  for her bravery, once saved life of a senior IAS officer from an armed mob at the cost of her life in Siliguri. "She fought back against the angry mob only with a small khukhri," said an officer.

She along with a group of five women officer from her and subsequent batches have filed a petition in Delhi High Court, demanding their job back including equal treatment with their male counterparts who undergo a series of mid-career courses to improve their qualification.