Dr Punita Arora, 71, New Delhi , First Woman Lieutenant - General in the Indian Academy Forces (2004), Commandant of the Armed Forces medical College (2004) , Vice-Admiral in the Indian Navy (2005).
Dr Punita Arora is quite the opposite of what you would imagine her to be. But, then, the petite and doting grandmother has been bucking stereotypes all her life.
Commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in 1968, Dr Arora blazed a trail in an overwhelmingly male bastion and set three weighty milestones in two of the three Services, the Army and the Navy. No, there are no glass ceilings, smiles Dr Arora, a gynaecologist with 15 medals to her credit.
A far cry from her former field routine, the retired officer now begins her day doing the rounds at the Women’s Centre in Privat Hospital, Gurgaon, a medical facility focused on women and childcare. But she is happy to oblige with stories of a career that was as adventurous as it was distinguished. With three coveted ‘firsts’ to her name, did she plan on setting any records? “No, I just did my duty and the rest followed,” she responds.
Dr Arora is a child of Partition, her family having moved from Lahore across the border to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, where her father was posted in the Indian Army. He had risen to the rank of captain and wanted his daughter to have a bright future. He encouraged her to become a doctor, which is how she ended up studying science at the government college in Saharanpur.
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Harmony - Celebrate Age.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Harmony - Celebrate Age.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Wrapped In Love
My Dadi Meenakshi Banerji was a short and tubby woman with great gumption who raised 10 citizens of the world.
Sharing Her ‘Mettle'
To me, this bell metal vaarpu, which weighs about 80 kg and is at least 120 years old, is an enduring reminder of my paternal grandmother Aleyamma Abraham.
Medical Overload
Your doctor may walk the talk while writing out your prescriptions but here’s the thing: make sure he hasn’t prescribed one too many.
An Act Of Faith
One act of kindness can save someone’s life.’
Armed For Business
The sheer glory and glamour of the Olive Greens motivated me, a third-generation soldier, to join the Army. Thus I enlisted, brimming with enthusiasm, in 1984.
Capture the fracture
Fracture owing to osteoporosis can have a serious impact on a person’s health and quality of life. Dr Abhijit Y Pawar, consultant orthopaedic spine surgeon at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, speaks about the significance of timely intervention in preventing fractures
Friends With Benefits!
Incontinence need not interfere with life.
Yellow, Yellow, Gritty Fellows!
It was a nippy Sunday morning but nothing that would keep the rugged Delhiite away from the annual Senior Citizens’ Run supported by Harmony at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Not even the mood-dampening smog that had descended on the capital a week earlier could do that! So said 74 year-old Sarla Rani and her band of regulars at the run who arrived at Nehru Stadium on the morning of 19 November even before the sun did. Soon they were joined by busloads of silvers from all over Delhi, Noida and Gurugram.
Magic By The Sea
From Lord Jagannath to oceanside beauty and green initiatives, Braja Sorensen uncovers the many layers of Puri.
Indian Rhapsody
In a span of two decades, Roshen Dalal has attained renown for her painstakingly researched books on history and religions in India. The Puffin History of India and The Puffin History of the World, each in two volumes, have not just received critical acclaim but are bestsellers as well. Her other books include The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths; Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide; The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism’s Sacred Texts and The Compact Timeline History of the World.
