Meera Siddarth Dave was a captain in the Indian Army and specialised in Human Resources and Supply Chain Management. She was born and brought up in Gujarat, joined the force in 2005 and retired from her position in 2011. Being a woman and a Gujarati woman in the armed forces was rare at the time and continues to be today. Inspiration struck Meera Dave to join the Army when she saw a uniform-clad female captain and felt a calling to wear the uniform herself one day.
As she mentioned in her interview with One India, only a tiny portion of the people in the army hail from the state of Gujarat. She had an innate desire to represent her birthplace at a place that would make it proud.
Captain Meera Dave is a shining example of not only a conscious and responsible citizen but also a proud female who chose to represent her gender among the highest strata of society; the Indian Army. She didn’t think of herself as weak or lesser than others. She didn’t think of her feminity as a liability and proved that she could do anything a man could and more.
We feel proud to share her story with you this international women’s day.