Army teaches us not to give up: Major K Renuka

Team Army’s women officers want women to take up “active sports” and “make physical activity a way of life” as the team turned in a successful show at the 2019 Desert Storm Rally in Jaiselmer winning two team titles and an individual podium finish.

The Army’s women participants Major Euthica and navigator Tejal Parashare (Extreme category), Manisha Gaind and Major K. Renuka (Moto) garnered a lot of attention on all four days as they faced the heat of the desert with calm and composure.

“The Army denotes strength, integrity and activeness,” Major Euthica, a mother of a two-year-old, said. “All of us are here on official duty. It is a great endeavour by the Army Adventure Wing to send its soldiers to try out new avenues and to push their limits.

“I got into rallying just last 11 months back, about a year after my baby was born. And I must say I am rediscovering myself. As an Army officer, I feel pleased to be part of any physical activity and give out my best.

“It gets tough sometimes out there but as a mother of a toddler, I feel very proud. My daughter has asked me to get a trophy and even though I couldn’t get one, I am going back with great memories and experience,” she added.

Lt. Col. Shakti Bajaj has been rallying for over a decade now and is a great example of a true soldier. He reckoned that the Army was proud of competing in endurance sport that can double up as training and also help build camaraderie.

Renuka of Army Service Corps recently became the first woman biker from the Army to scale the 18,176 ft Karakoram Pass. She “We feel proud. As women, we want to send out the message that nothing is impossible. To all the women out there, I would say come out and compete,” Major Euthica declared. “Do not stop, get out of self-imposed restrictions. Embrace the world and its challenges. It’s waiting to accept the new you.”

Added Major Renuka, also a mother of a two-year-old, “As Army people, we do not know how to give up. I think we carry such similarities on to the field of sport and competition and that stands out for us.”

Team Army Adventure Wing fielded 10 teams in the four-wheeler and three in the two-wheeler category.

They picked up two team trophies and an individual podium finish by Lt. Col. Aman Manocha rounded off their successful campaign.