Panchkula: For Lieutenant Shanan Dhaka, the olive green was never just a uniform — it was a legacy she had grown up watching, a life she was determined to claim as her own. On June 13, when the 23-year-old strode out of the Indian Military Academy as a commissioned officer, she wasn’t just marking a personal milestone; she was carrying forward three generations of service — and breaking new ground for women in the armed forces.The All India Rank 1 holder among women in the first NDA exam open to them, Dhaka is now preparing for her first posting in Arunachal Pradesh with a sense of purpose and quiet resolve. “I want to go without any preconceived notions… to be open to every challenge,” she said during a visit to Panchkula. The journey, she admits, has been demanding — four years of rigorous, uncompromising training — but one that has shaped her into someone ready to take on anything. “This is the best profession. We were treated equally, and that made us stronger,” she said.Hailing from Sundana village in Haryana’s Rohtak, Dhaka’s story is rooted in both tradition and change. Her grandfather, Chandrabhan Dhaka, retired as a subedar in the Army; her father, Vijay Kumar, retired as a naib subedar and now serves as a special police officer (SPO) with Panchkula police; and her elder sister, Janoon Dhaka, is a nursing officer in the Military Nursing Service.“Having a military background in the family, it was never a career choice for me, rather a way of life that I had witnessed since childhood, in which I simply had to find a way in. When the opportunity came following the Supreme Court ruling in 2021, I gave it my all,” Dhaka said.Yet, her decision also carried a larger purpose — to set an example. “I wanted to encourage girls from my village to pursue education,” she said, reflecting on the social realities she grew up around.Her commissioning was as much about family pride as personal achievement. At a felicitation ceremony in Panchkula, where senior police officers honoured her, one moment stood out — watching her father receive a commendation. “That made me the happiest. My parents stood by me through everything,” she said.“My third and youngest sister, who is in Class IX, also wishes to join the Army in future,” said Shanan.Her father, currently posted in the office of the deputy commissioner of police (crime and traffic), recalled her relentless focus. “She was preparing for UPSC before the Supreme Court decision, but chose the Army — something she had always wanted. She was so dedicated that she would sometimes forget meals, but never her goal,” he said.
