Ruchi Sharma
{{about||the Indian singer|Ruchi Sharma (singer)}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Captain
| name = Ruchi Sharma
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| allegiance = {{flagicon|India}} India
| branch = 24px Indian Army
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| unit = Army Ordnance Corps
Parachute Regiment
| awards = {{plainlist|
- Presidents Gold Medal
- General Oberoi Trophy
}}
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Captain Ruchi Sharma is a former paratrooper in the Indian Army. She retired from the Army in 2003 and is now an educationist.
Life
Ruchi Sharma was a 1995 batch science student of Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women.{{Cite web|last=Mukherjee|first=Oindrila|date=2018-03-01|title=First jump is like first love, exciting and exhilarating: Capt (Retd) Sharma|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/first-jump-is-like-first-love-exciting-and-exhilarating-capt-sharma-5082382/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-07|website=The Indian Express|language=en}} Both Sharma and her father, an Indian Army officer, are alumni of Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=11 March 2020|title=Meet Captain Ruchi Sharma, India's first female operational paratrooper|url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/meet-captain-ruchi-sharma-indias-first-female-operational-paratrooper-5011481.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Moneycontrol}} Sharma joined the army in 1996{{Efn|Only 4 years prior had Indian women been allowed in combat roles on an "experimental basis"|name=|group=}}, when she was 20 years old,{{Cite web|last=Ganapathy|first=Nirmala|date=2020-02-14|title=Barred from combat roles, Indian women seek greater role in army|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/barred-from-combat-roles-indian-women-seek-greater-role-in-army|url-access=registration|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-07|website=The Straits Times|language=en|ref=combat}} as a Short Service Commission officer and was commissioned to the Army Ordnance Corps.{{Cite web|last=Jain|first=Sanya|date=6 March 2020|title=Meet Captain Ruchi Sharma, The First Operational Paratrooper Of Indian Army|url=https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/womens-day-2020-meet-captain-ruchi-sharma-first-operational-paratrooper-of-indian-army-2191063|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-07|website=NDTV}} She volunteered to become a paratrooper.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2018-01-20|title=Ruchi Sharma- First operational woman Paratrooper|url=https://thesmetimes.com/ruchi-sharma-first-operational-woman-paratrooper/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-07|website=The SME Times|language=en-US}} In an interview to Femina magazine she remembers that during training they were made to jog for 40 km with a 10 kg load.{{Cite web|last=Rathod|first=Kalwyna|date=24 June 2020|title=#IndiaSalutes: Captain Ruchi Sharma, Indian Army's First Female Paratrooper|url=https://www.femina.in/trending/achievers/meet-indian-armys-first-female-paratrooper-captain-ruchi-sharma-162217.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Femina|language=en}} Her first jump was in 1997. About her first jump she says, "The first jump is like your first love"; in an Indian Express article she is quoted saying, "I was screaming my parents' names, telling them that I love them,” and adding, "but when I landed, my
Captain Sharma retired in 2003. She says that if the policy of permanent commission for women had been there back in her days, she would have opted for it.{{Cite web|last=Banerjee|first=Ajay|date=23 February 2020|title=First woman paratrooper would have opted for PC|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/first-woman-paratrooper-would-have-opted-for-pc-45785|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Tribune India|language=en}} In 2020, on the occasion of International Women's Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s made a social media appeal to bring forward inspirational stories. One of the stories was highlighted was that of Captain Ruchi Sharma. In 2003 she left the forces so as to be able to look after her daughter. Ruchi Sharma, now an educationist, is married to an army officer, and they have a daughter.
Notes
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