Lt General (Mrs) Punita Arora of the Armys Medical Corps was the first woman Lt General of Indian Army. Arora graduated from Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune. She did her Post -graduation in Gynae and Obst from AFMC and was awarded Gold Medal for standing first in Pune University. During her service she worked as Gynaecologist at various prestigious Armed Forces Hospitals like Head AFMC and Army Hospital. Education She studied in Sophia School in Saharanpur till 8th grade. After that she moved to Guru Nanak Girls Inter-College. In 11th Standard while getting admitted to Government school for boys she decided to take science as a career. She joined Armed Forces Medical College, Pune in 1963 which was the second batch of the AFMC and she turned out to be the topper of that batch. Career Punita was commissioned in January 1968. Before becoming Vice Admiral of Indian Navy she was Commandant of AFMC. She took the charge of commandant of Armed Forces Medical College in 2004 thereafter becoming the first woman officer to command the medical college. Before that She was co-ordinating Medical Research of the armed forces at the Army headquarters as additional director-general of Armed Forces Medical Services (Medical Research).She moved from the Army to the Navy as the AFMS has a common pool which allows officers to migrate from one service to another depending on the requirement. Punita Arora was awarded Sena Medal by President of India for establishing Gynae Endoscopy and Oncology facilities in Armed Forces Hospitals. She was awarded Vishisht Seva Medal by President of India for the efficient and prompt treatment provided to the victims of Kalu Chak terrorist attack, under her leadership while commanding Military Hospital, Jammu. Lt Gen (Mrs) Punita Arora was appointed as Commandant, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. Lieutenant General Punita Arora is the first woman in India to done the second highest rank i.e Lieutant General of Indian Armed Forces. and the first Vice admiral of Indian Navy. Early Years of Life Lt Gen Arora arrived in India after Partition when she was a year old. The only possessions her family had when they reached India were a blanket and a glass.Like the one million others who left their homes for a hard and uncertain future in a land they chose to live in after Independence, her family saw tough times. They started from scratch, made many sacrifices along the way and built their lives brick by brick.A very strong point they had was unity of the family. If one working member got some money it was shared equally. My father was the eldest. His brother who expired just a year back at the age of 95, looked up to my father till the end, she says.Sitting across in her living room, the general gives charming, everyday examples of the beauty of Indian family from her own life. Of the time her mother accompanied her on her first posting to Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh in 1968. How her younger sisters, mother-in-law took turns in being with her on various postings; and that one time when her 75-year-old nani came to live with her only because she did not want her grand-daughter to be alone.Our family system is so beautiful. If we disintegrate like nuclear families we are losing a lot. Today what I am I wouldnt be without the support of my family, says the officer whose husband retired as a brigadier from the Army Medical Corps. As far back as Lt Gen Arora can remember, her father wanted her to become a doctor. At every step I used to think if I want to be a doctor can I get my ears pierced or not? I was conditioned that way.When she went for admission to the government college in Saharanpur, the college told her it was only for boys but she could get a seat if she found two other girls. She did and got admission.She joined the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, as an undergraduate in 1962, did her post graduation, came back as faculty, was posted to its command hospital and has now returned for itsu Lt.dr.preeti desale
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 15:24:20 +0000
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