Smashing stereotypes: Mohali armed forces institute prepares girls for guns and glory

Chandigarh: Preparatory school for girls – the very words conjure an image of upper-crust young women getting ready for marriage. But the Punjab government-run Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute is breaking every stereotype to pave the way for girls from villages and semi-urban areas to join the armed forces.

Named after Mata Bhag Kaur, who valiantly led 40 Sikh fighters against the Mughals in the Battle of Muktsar in 1705, the institute in Mohali selects only 25 girls annually for its three-year preparatory course for a career in the armed forces.

Only girls who are Punjab residents can enrol at the seven-year-old institute where the training is free.

The entrance exam for the institute is tough and sees 1,200 to 1,400 applicants each year. It has been set up on the lines of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Boys, also in Mohali.

Many girls at the institute aspire for combat roles in the armed forces.

For Anika, a resident of Hoshiarpur and a daughter of an ex-Armyman, no other profession is as empowering as the armed forces.

“I know there is no limit to my capabilities. Every morning I wake up that motivation that the dream of donning the olive green is just one more step away. I will be there in the (defence) academy,” she said.

Last month, two alumni of the Mai Bhago institute were commissioned as officers in the Indian Air Force – one as a transport pilot and the other as a navigator.

The institute’s director, Major General J S Sandhu (retd), said, “The first batch of the institute passed in 2018. The focus is to provide a platform and opportunity (for girls) to compete and become commissioned officers in the armed forces.”

The multi-layered selection process involves a written test, followed by an interview and certain psychometric tests, and a medical exam.

The medical exam is done to ensure the girls selected at the institute should also be fit for their selection in the armed forces as per the set parameters, he said.