#SAYFTYSPOTLIGHT

Dr. Seema Rao ( @commandowoman ) is India’s first and only woman commando trainer. She is often referred to as India’s Wonder Woman. 

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In her @TEDx talk, Seema cites her Indian freedom-fighter father as her earliest inspiration. However, as a child, she says she had no interest in physical training.

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It was only when she saw her husband Major Deepak Rao (@majordeepakrao) practising martial arts that she fully decided to pursue this field. A medical doctor turned commando trainer, she has been in this profession for more than two decades now.

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Seema is an expert in a form of fighting called Close Quarter Battle (CQB). She is also a combat shooting instructor, combat driver, and a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certified scuba diver.

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Seema is an Army Himalayan Mountaineering Institute medalist, an 8th-degree black belt in military martial arts, an @indianairforce Skydiving Wings holder, and also one of the only people authorised to teach a hybrid martial arts called Jeet Kune Do.

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Impressively, this is not even all of her achievements!

Seema, along with her husband, has helped train 20,000 soldiers over 25 years pro bono. These include commandos from different Indian forces such as the @adgpi and Indian Navy.

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For their service, the Raos are recipients of three Army Chief citations. Together, they also created a new method of shooting called ‘The Rao System of Reflex Fire.’ Seema has authored many books.

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Some of these books are housed in the libraries of @FBI, Interpol ( @interpol_hq) and SWAT.

Seema strongly believes in women’s empowerment and has talked about how she had to beat men twice her size to command respect as a woman in her field.

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She was even ranked no. 6 in Woman Power Trailblazers of India by @forbesindia. For her work, Dr. Rao was most recently awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2019, which is an annual award given by the Government of India to exemplary women. 

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This post is brought to you by Layaal ( @alilayaal) as part of the #SayftySpotlight series. Every Saturday, we highlight the achievements of inspiring Indian women. If you would like to recommend someone for the Spotlight series, please comment below.

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