Lt Cdr Disha Amrith, an officer from Karnataka commanding the Republic Day contingent

Besides Amrith, another woman officer — Sub-Lt Valli Meena S — will be among the three platoon commanders of the naval contingent.

ByDeeksha Devadiga

Published Jan 22, 2023 | 4:02 PMUpdatedJan 22, 2023 | 5:01 PM

Lt Cdr Disha Amrith, an officer from Karnataka commanding the Republic Day contingent

Lt Commander Disha Amrith, a woman naval aviation officer posted at a strategic base will lead the Indian Navy’s Republic Day contingent.

Disha has come a long way since 2008, when she was just a schoolgirl who went to Delhi to participate as a part of the National Cadet Corps in Republic Day camp.

She will now be the Naval contingent’s commanding officer on Republic Day with the Navy’s Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft.

Lt Commander Disha Amrith was part of the National Cadet Corps’s Republic Day team in 2008. (supplied)

The officer, who hails from Mangaluru, a coastal city in Karnataka, got into the Navy in 2016 and has been posted at a key naval facility in the Andaman and Nicobar islands after completing her training in 2017.

A Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from BMS College of Engineering in Karnataka, 29-year-old Disha was part of the National Cadet Corps’s Republic Day team in 2008 and harboured the dream of being part of the marching contingents of one of the three services at the celebrations in Delhi.

Dream come true

In a video posted by the National Defence YouTube channel, Disha calls it a dream come true and a proud moment for her to lead the naval contingent and that it was her dream to do so since she was a National Corps Cadet.

Lt Cdr Disha, a trained computer science engineer from Mangalore, said.
“We have worked very hard and are hopeful of winning the best marching contingent,”

The tableau will showcase the “Nari Shakti” in the force. It will also reflect the Navy’s focus on remaining a combat-ready, credible, and cohesive force.