In the front lines | Feature

IMAGE: KONG YEN LIN

When Second Lieutenant Sailaja Shrestha made the biggest switch in her life four years ago from being a teacher to an army official, she shocked both her students and parents.

"They were sceptical and worried about me entering a male dominated field and also whether or not I could withstand the tough physical training," says the 26-year-old, "But I was eager to prove myself and to make my mark in history, and the army recruitment presented the opportunity."

She recalls fighting back tears when her family bid her farewell at Chhauni for her Drill Squad Phase. For the next 42 days, she would be spending time in training, cut off from creature comforts and all forms of communication with them.

But the eldest of four siblings soon realised there was no room for tears in military life. "From the first day you enter this field, you leave your gender outside the barracks," she tells WAVE.

The initial days were gruelling. Recruits had to undergo basic physical fitness tests every six months. Her daily routine for six days of the week started with rising at 5.30 AM in the morning and training for 40 minutes before returning to the barracks' office. "It was not only about maintaining physical fitness but mental prowess as well," she says.

Now working in the Psychological Operations Unit of the Nepali Army, she feels that social perceptions towards women serving in the army have relaxed in recent years. "It's becoming recognised as a prestigious field that women can excel in," says Lieutenant Sailaja.

The confident lady does not find any gender discrimination in her workplace and believes strongly that female staff can do more than playing second fiddle to males. "If we can work better than them, we are in no way inferior to them."

Currently pursuing her Masters in Sociology at Tribhuban University's Tri Chandra Multiple College, Lieutenant Sailaja will be graduating in early March. And she has big dreams ahead for her days in the army. "Let's see, maybe I can be the first female Chief of Army Staff?" she says with a laugh.

*Kong Yen Lin