With Major Dr. Dipanwita Kalita from Swaheed Nagari Dhekiajuli, Sonitpur district, becoming the first Assamese woman paratrooper, Assam has made a lasting impression on the Indian Army’s history. In addition to this noteworthy accomplishment, she was included alongside Colonel Sophia Qureshi and eight other outstanding female officers from the Indian Armed Forces on the Independence Day special cover of Femina India, one of the most well-known and extensively read magazines in the world. Her mother, Parbati Kalita, had gallbladder surgery yesterday, so although her triumph has made the people of Dhekiajuli very proud, celebrations at her parents’ house have been muted. Navneeta Kalita, her older sister and the news editor of Prag News, has been occupied with taking care of their mother. “On a challenging day, this is good news,” Parbati Kalita told reporters.
After training in the Army Cantonment in Agra, Dipanwita obtained her paratrooper badge in 2023, as reported by her sister and father, Prabin Kalita, to the media. She completed her HSLC in 2005 at Devendra Green Grove English School in Dhekiajuli, where she started her academic career. She eventually pursued medical studies in Manila, Philippines, after earning distinction in her higher secondary education (science) at Darrang College in 2007. She finished her internship at AIIMS, New Delhi, in 2015 after receiving her MBBS in 2013. Dr. Dipanwita worked at Deen Dayal Hospital in New Delhi after completing her internship. She wed Dr. Charang Mate, an Army Medical Corps officer from Nagpur, Maharashtra, in 2019. Her pivotal moment occurred in 2020 when she was chosen for the Indian Army’s Captain (Medical Officer) position out of more than 100 applicants nationally. After her initial deployment in Dimapur, Nagaland, she trained for three months in Lucknow. After that, she was sent to Agra for training as a commando and a paratrooper, which she successfully finished in 2023, making her the first female paratrooper in Assam. Dr. Dipanwita has been assigned to the Agra Army Base since January 2025 and has now been elevated to the rank of Major. Her biography is prominently displayed among the country’s top female officers in Femina’s August 2025 issue, where she is acknowledged as one of the “Warrior Women of the Indian Army.” In Dhekiajuli and Assam, her accomplishment has been celebrated as a source of great pride and motivation for the coming generation.