On January 26, 2023, twelve mahila praharis or women soldiers from the camel contingent of the Border Security Force’s Rajasthan Frontier made their Republic Day parade debut on Kartavya Path in New Delhi. Dressed in the ceremonial uniform designed by Raghavendra Rathore, one of India’s leading designers, the women, astride camels, rode confidently during the parade.
The BSF―the only force in the country with a camel contingent―decided to deploy women soldiers alongside men in border outposts only in 2022. The first batch had 20 women riders, all of whom were trained in Jodhpur.
For Rathore, a Jodhpur boy, the inclusion of women is “a monumental step”. “As this was the first time they were seen riding camels right alongside their male counterparts at the Republic Day parade, it speaks about equality, strength and courage,” he said. He added that a lot of research went into the design of the uniform. “The design has been built on restraint and subtlety,” he said. “Ensuring that women and men are seen from the same perspective was a key consideration, therefore diverging from the tradition of the BSF’s current uniforms in the interest of design was not at all an option.”
Also, a pan-India focus had to be maintained even while retaining elements of Rajasthan. “The principal design is inspired by the Jodhpuri bandhgala but the details that form the core of this design have been selected from artisans across the country,” said Rathore.
And, it was wearing these uniforms that the mahila praharis rode in on their camels at the Republic Day parade. Post the parade, they were posted to different border outposts.
One such outpost is the Moomal Border Outpost, 150km from Jaisalmer, where four women riders guard the barbed-wire boundary between India and Pakistan. Legend has it that Prince Mahendra Singh of Umarkot (in modern-day Pakistan) was smitten with the beautiful Princess Moomal. He would visit her regularly but failed to turn up one day because of a misunderstanding. She went back heartbroken and met with a tragic death, immortalising the location by lending her name to it. Moomal, meaning exquisite, also finds mention in many a Rajasthani folk song.
The Moomal outpost is one of many along the 1,070km-long border that spans four districts in Rajasthan. And, in a sandy expanse, the camel is man’s (and woman’s) best friend. “In the desert, camels are a blessing as they negotiate the topography easily,” said Deputy Commandant S.H. Prabhat.
The women jawans initially found it challenging to train with the camels. But with time, they have bonded well with their rides. Camels, like horses, sense their rider and prefer to have the same person during daily patrolling.
The women soldiers wake up at the crack of dawn to do yoga, following which they groom and exercise the camels. The camel contingent, including men, eats and prays together―lunch and dinner are served in the barracks, and evening puja is a daily ritual. At times, they play volleyball in the evening.
What binds the women soldiers, who come from not only Rajasthan but also Gujarat and Maharashtra, is the sense of pride. “It is an honour to be able to defend the country against enemies and guard its border,” said Sunita Devi.
The women soldiers are now gearing up for next year’s Republic Day parade, which will have only women participants in contingents, tableaux and other performances.