Captain Tania Shergill has created history after leading an all-men marching contingent at the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2020. A video is being widely circulated on all social networks in which 26-year-old Shergill can be seen leading an all-men contingent.
On Army Day (January 15) this year, Shergill became the first Indian woman officer to lead an all-men contingent. She is a fourth-generation army officer.
Coming from an Indian Army family background, Tania’s father was in 101 Medium Regiment (Artillery) while her grandfather served in the 14th Armed Regiment (Scinde Horse). And, her great grandfather was in the Sikh Regiment. Tania was commissioned into the Indian Army in 2017.
While speaking to India Today TV, Tania said that she always wanted to join the Army and wanted to attend the ceremony “ever since I was a little girl”.
Expressing happiness over leading the Parade Captain Shergill said, “You feel alive, you feel grateful, you feel happy that you are down on the ground and leading the contingent”.
When asked if she could be a role model to women officers across forces, Capt Shergill said: “There are many women who are doing greater things than I am doing. There are many women who are an inspiration to me also.”
“So, in that scenario, if there is even one little girl who says that she is inspired by me, it means a lot.”
Tania Shergill hails from Hoshiarpur, Punjab. She completed BTech in electronics and telecommunications from Nagpur University.
In her interview with India Today TV, Capt Shergill said the Army was “purely based on merit.”
“There is no discrimination on the basis of your gender, your caste or the place you belong to.”
Watching her live, Big B Amitabh Bachchan congratulated Tania Shergill and shared a post on Twitter with a caption,
Asked about how women can induct into the Indian Army, Captain Shergill said, “It is on the basis of merit. If you are deserving, you are worthy, then you go ahead,” she stated.
Former cricketer and East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir also took to Twitter to congratulate Tania and said that as a father of two daughters he feels proud after seeing Shergil leading Parade.
