Meet Captain Reeta Biyani: Indian Army’s First Lady Paratrooper from the Dental Corps

In the early 1980s, when the presence of women officers in the Indian Armed Forces was still limited and largely confined to specific roles, a young dental surgeon from Maharashtra quietly rewrote a chapter of military history. Dr. Captain (Retd.) Reeta Rajkishor Biyani, popularly known as Ritu Biyani, became the first woman from the Marwari (Maheshwari) community to join the Indian Army and, more significantly, the first lady paratrooper from the Army Dental Corps.

Her journey is one of quiet pioneering, professional competence under demanding conditions, and later a remarkable transformation into a nationally recognised cancer awareness campaigner and adventure sports achiever.

Early Life and the Decision to Wear the Uniform

Born around 1960 into a middle-income Marwari family in Maharashtra, Reeta grew up in an environment that valued education above traditional community expectations. Her father, Professor R. S. Biyani, was a civil engineer who later taught at government engineering colleges. Her mother, Asha Biyani, was a homemaker and artist. The family had links to India’s freedom struggle through her uncles, and stories of service and discipline left a lasting impression.

She completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur. During her college years she was actively involved with the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The experience, combined with a strong interest in outdoor activities and sports such as badminton, athletics and volleyball, sparked her desire to serve in the Armed Forces.

In November 1981, after clearing the rigorous selection process that included interviews, medical examinations and training at the Armed Forces Medical College (AMC) Training Centre in Lucknow, she was commissioned into the Army Dental Corps. At a time when very few women from conservative communities chose a military career, she became the first woman from the Maheshwari Marwari community to join the Indian Army.

Service in the Army Dental Corps and the Paratrooper Milestone

Her first posting was in Sikkim. Over the next decade she served in several remote border and high-altitude areas, often as the only lady officer providing dental care to troops. In an era when women officers were rarely posted to forward locations, she travelled extensively to keep soldiers “biting fit” under difficult conditions.

In 1983, during her second year of service, she volunteered for parachute training. Successfully completing the demanding course, she earned her wings and became the first lady paratrooper from the Indian Army Dental Corps. She also trained in mountaineering and other adventure skills, later becoming a certified skydiver and skier. These achievements were rare for any officer of the Dental Corps at the time, and unprecedented for a woman in that branch.

She completed two Short Service Commissions and left the Army in 1992 in the rank of Captain after approximately ten years of service. Her military years instilled in her the discipline, resilience and comfort with challenging environments that would later define her post-service life.

The Cancer Battle and a New Mission

After leaving the Army, Reeta settled into family life and later established a private dental practice in Pune. In September 2000, at the age of 40, she was diagnosed with high-risk breast cancer. She underwent two surgeries and six cycles of chemotherapy. Her daughter Tista was then only eight years old.

Rather than allowing the diagnosis to define her, she approached the illness with the mindset of a soldier — accepting the challenge, maintaining open communication with her family, and refusing self-pity. A defining moment came when a patient left her clinic upon learning of her cancer, believing it to be contagious. The incident highlighted the deep stigma and lack of awareness surrounding the disease in Indian society.

In 2006, five-and-a-half years after her diagnosis, she and her then 14-year-old daughter Tista launched Project High>>>Ways — India’s first long-distance adventure drive focused on cancer awareness. Reeta solo-drove 30,220 kilometres in 177 days to the four tips of India, crossing some of the highest motorable roads in the country. Along the way the mother-daughter duo conducted more than 140 workshops on breast, cervical and oral cancer across 26 states and four Union Territories.

The expedition earned them entries in the Limca Book of Records. She later formalised her work under the non-profit Highways Infinite (also referred to as High>>>Ways Infinite), which continues to conduct awareness workshops, navigate patients and caregivers, and provide support to those in need. Cumulative figures over the years include more than two lakh kilometres driven, thousands of workshops, and outreach to over three lakh people.

Further Firsts and Recognition

Reeta Biyani went on to achieve several more pioneering feats as a cancer survivor:

• First cancer warrior to trek approximately 120 kilometres to Kumar Post on the Siachen Glacier.
• First breast cancer warrior to compete in and complete the Raid-de-Himalaya, one of India’s toughest motorsport rallies, in 2012.
• Invited in 2011 as an external expert to the WHO Guideline Development Group on the referral of suspected breast and cervix cancer cases at primary health centres in low- and middle-income countries.
• Three-time Limca Book of Records holder.
• Recipient of more than 50 awards and citations, including the Manthan South Asia Award.

She has also delivered TEDx talks and continues to work as a motivational speaker and patient advocate while maintaining her dental practice in Pune.

A Legacy of Quiet Pioneering

Captain Reeta Biyani’s story is not one of dramatic battlefield heroics but of steady barrier-breaking within the structured world of the Indian Army and, later, within society’s response to cancer. As the first woman from her community in uniform and the first lady paratrooper of the Army Dental Corps, she expanded the space available to women officers in specialised branches. Her subsequent transformation into a nationwide cancer awareness campaigner demonstrated the same qualities of grit, adaptability and service that the Army had instilled in her.

For defence aspirants, particularly women considering careers in the Armed Forces or those preparing for SSB interviews, her journey offers a clear message: competence, courage and commitment can open doors that once seemed closed — both in uniform and far beyond it.

Still, as she herself often says, “miles to go under the blue skies.”