Meet Shiva Chauhan, First Female Captain Deployed At Siachen Glacier
She's breaking glass ceilings.
Women cannot fight, they say. Women are weak, they say. Women cannot withstand adverse conditions as men can, they say. Breaking these gender norms and the glass ceiling is Captain Shiva Chauhan, from Fire and Fury Corps. She becomes the first woman officer who is deployed in an operational capacity at Kumar Post on the Siachen glacier, which is the highest and the coldest battleground for military troops.
Who is Captain Shiva Chauhan?
Shiva Chauhan is India’s first woman officer who is deployed at Siachen glacier. The great news of her induction was shared by the official Twitter handle of the Fire And Fury Corps of the Indian Army. Sharing a photo of her wearing a white suit and goggles, the handle wrote, “‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ Capt Shiva Chauhan of Fire and Fury Sappers became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed in Kumar Post, post completion of arduous training, at the highest battlefield of the world #Siachen.”
'Breaking the Glass Ceiling'
Capt Shiva Chauhan of Fire and Fury Sappers became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed in Kumar Post, post completion of arduous training, at the highest battlefield of the world #Siachen.#SuraSoi@PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia @adgpi pic.twitter.com/nQbmJxvLQ4
— @firefurycorps_IA (@firefurycorps) January 3, 2023
Being able to fight at the Kumar post is no easy feat for anyone. To prepare herself for the cold and battle, Captain Shiva had to undergo a strenuous and rigorous training before he got posted. The picture of her that was shared on the Twitter handle also mentions the height at which the Kumar post is located. It is situated at a height of 15,632 feet above sea level.
The Siachen glacier located in the Himalayas has been a high-conflict zone between India and Pakistan. The Indian Army soldiers withstand the cold temperatures which drop to as low as -50 degrees. The entire area from Siachen’s base camp to the Kumar post was opened to tourism for civilians in 2019.
Also read: EXCLUSIVE! Captain Zoya Agarwal On Her Historic All-Woman Polar Flight And The Women Who Inspire Her
In September 2021, a new world record was created by a team of eight specially-abled people when they reached the Kumar post.
Image courtesy – Fire And Fury Corps Twitter handle
