Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken winged bird
That cannot fly!
So says the Aero Nodal Centre brochure of the Army Service Corps that Lt Yogini Modi has been flying with. From dandiya to defence is a long way, but two Gujarati girls have traversed the distance and broken precedent to realise their dreams of a career in the Indian Army. Lt Yogini Modi and Lt Vrindaba Gohil are the first in their families to opt for the olive green uniform and needless to say, in these trying times of war, their families are proud of them.
Modi grew up in a business family. Her brothers deal in furniture and Bullet motorcycles. A background not even remotely connected to the Armed Forces. ``The influence probably came from the radical views of our father who was a social worker and Benor Desai, a Parsi girl, her senior in NCC, who also joined the Army,'' says Rajendra Modi, the officer's elder brother.
A student of Gujarat Vidyapith and then CU Shah College, Modi was the best NCC cadet in her batch. ``She was a tough girl. Ever since the Defence Forces opened entry for women officers, she had her mind set on it. Twice she was turned away, but in the third try she made it through the selection procedure,'' says Rajendra.
The Air Force was her first love but the glasses she wore set her back there. Army was the next option and by joining ASC and then opting for microlight flying, Modi managed to put herself firmly in the pilot seat. ``I ran around so much for the microlight that I had myself become ultralite by the time I got it,'' she quips in an article she has contributed for the newsletter of Aero Nodal Centre, a branch of the Army Adventure Wing.
For Lt Vridaba Gohil, an Army Intelligence officer, the inspiration came from seeing her grandfather and IPS officer Prabhatsinh K Jhala in his uniform. ``I will also be like nana, she always used to say,'' recounts her mother Pravinaba. By working hard and securing a distinction in SSC and a first division in 12th standard, Gohil brought herself closer to her goal. She graduated from St Xavier's College, excelled in rifle shooting, participated with her NCC batch at the Republic Day parade in 1991 and after a brief stint with radio journalism joined the Officers' Training Academy in Chennai. The decision was never questioned by Laxmansinh Gohil, her lawyer father, who is proud of her achievement.
Both the officers are planning to continue serving with the Army even after their Short Service Commission period of five years is up. Both are posted in Delhi and if there is a regret, it is only that women officers are not getting a piece of the action at Kargil.
Source: Indian Express Jul 1999, Sainik Samachar
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