Imphal: Ch Enoni, a 22-year-old from the Senapati district, has made her friends and family proud by joining the Indian Army.
A native of remote Rabunamei village under the Maram sub-division of Senapati district, Enoni is the first woman from the Mao Naga community who joined the Indian Army as an officer in general.
On Saturday, 161 cadets from the SSC-116 course, including 36 women cadets, were officially commissioned into various arms and services of the Indian Army from the prestigious Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
“Lieutenant Enoni, from a remote village Rabunamei, Mao, #Manipur, commissioned into the #IndianArmy, as an officer today. An ex #NCC cadet, she passed out from the Officers Training Academy, #Chennai,” tweeted PRO, Kohima & Imphal, Ministry of Defence.
Soon after the passing out parade, EastMojo reached out to Senior Under Officer (SUO) Enoni to learn about her remarkable journey towards her new position and duty.
The youngest in the family, Enoni is the lone among the five siblings who followed her father, a retired Sepoy who served in the Assam Rifles.
“My father is an ex-serviceman. He inspired me to join the Army. Later, during my days as an NCC cadet, I met Army officers, which boosted my interest in joining the Indian Army, and that’s how I applied for this job,” Enoni told EastMojo over the phone.
“When I told my father about my interest in the Army, he said you should go for it and to date, my family has been very supportive,” the young officer added.
She also said some friends still think such jobs aren’t for girls. “But during my training, I realised that we Nagas are very talented and physically fitter than people from other places because of our environment and food habits,” said Enoni.
“I want to set an example for our youth when they look up to me and inspire them,” added the young woman officer.
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While sharing her experience during the 11 months of intensive training, Enoni said due to the language barrier, she faced many challenges while communicating with her colleagues. However, in return, she took it as a positive challenge and slowly gained confidence in learning Hindi.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
“The training is organised so that you get along with it. Even though it is challenging, it’s worth it,” said Enoni, who is all set to serve the nation with honour and pride.
“If not for the Indian Army, I would have tried for UPSC exams or paramilitary forces but the Indian Army is always my priority,” she added.
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