Seema Rao (A Doctor, MBA, and Ph.D.), India’s Only Female Military Commando Trainer

Seema Rao (A Doctor, MBA, and Ph.D.), India’s Only Female Military Commando Trainer
Compiled by: Asim Deb.

“Dr. Seema Rao, who, at the ‘Corps Battle School’ in Kashmir, can demonstrate pinpoint accuracy by shooting an apple off her husband’s head with an AK-47 from a distance of 75 yards.”

Meet Seema Rao.
The pretty girl, after completing her school, became a Doctor in conventional medicine. Then she did her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Crisis Management from Westminster Business School, London and studied Immunology at Harvard Medical School, and then PhD in International Human Rights from Stanford University. Also, she was a Mrs. India World beauty pageant finalist. With all these in her kitty, the pretty elegant girl opted for a different profession and became India’s only female commando trainer, giving training for military special forces including NSG Black Cats.

She recounts how a single obscene remark directed at her brought about a radical shift in her outlook on life. Consequently, after extensive study in various fields, Seema Rao pursued a completely different career path, emerging as India’s only female commando trainer. She currently holds an 8th-degree black belt in military martial arts and trained NSG ‘Black Cats’ as well as various military special forces units. Notably, she primarily trained male commandos.

To overcome his fear of heights, she completed a mountaineering course, with a silver medal at the Army Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI). To conquer her fear of water, she undertook a SCUBA deep-sea diving course with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) in the United States. She underwent firefighting training to overcome the fear of fire. To conquer the fear of solitude or loneliness, she did a ‘jungle survival’ course. Finally, she achieved a high-ranking black belt in unarmed combat. She can run a 40-kilometer marathon, hit an apple placed on someone’s head with unerring accuracy using an AK-47 rifle, strike five targets in two seconds with a Glock pistol, defuse complex explosives, and instantly overpower an armed attacker. She accomplishes all of this with the same level of success as her male counterparts, naturally earning immense respect and admiration in the process.

Dr. Seema Rao wanted to serve in a capacity other than that of a doctor in the Indian armed forces. She earned her ‘Para Wings’ through an Indian Air Force skydiving course. She is also trained in ‘Jeet Kune Do’ – the martial art developed by Bruce Lee’s student, Grandmaster Richard Bustillo, and now she is one of the only ten women in the world to hold a license certification in this discipline. Furthermore, she is trained under renowned Grandmaster Moni Aizik; a former Israeli Special Forces commando, in ‘Commando Krav Maga,’ Israel’s highly potent and devastating combat system, and earned certification as an instructor. With all these in her kitty, she was the only female commando trainer for the Indian Army.

For over 25 years, Dr. Seema Rao has trained elite Indian military units, including the NSG (Black Cats), MARCOS, GARUD, and Para-Commandos.

Additionally, she has trained 20,000 personnel from various armed forces at the ‘Corps Battle School.’ She has also conducted training to the National Police Academy, the Army Officers Training Academy, and ‘Quick Response Teams’ of police forces in almost every major Indian city. The trainees were predominantly men. She has been volunteering his services for 25 years, neither demanding nor accepting any remuneration in return. In the year 2020, at the age of 50, Dr. Seema decided to step down from active field training with the Indian forces after completing 25 years of her selfless services.

Seema Rao is the author of ten books and the co-author of the world’s first *Encyclopedia of Close Combat Ops*, written specifically for the Indian Army. She authored *A Comprehensive Analysis of World Terrorism* – the first Indian book on global terrorism, and the *Commando Manual of Unarmed Combat*. Her books are included in the libraries of the FBI, Interpol, the United Nations, and SWAT police units.

Her first national-level assignment came in 1997, when R. S. Tyagi; the then Police Commissioner of Mumbai was appointed the Director General of the NSG. Subsequently, in the late 1990s, retired Brigadier Balbir Singh arranged a six-week training course to be conducted by her at the Parachute Regiment Training Centre in Bengaluru, following a meeting with the then Army Chief, General Shankar Roychowdhury.

Seema Rao comes from a family of freedom fighters; she is the daughter of Professor Ramakant Sinari, who fought to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule. She met her future husband, Major Deepak Rao, when she was just 16 years old. Major Rao had been practicing martial arts since the age of 12 and introduced Seema to these self-defense techniques while Seema was pursuing her medical studies. Driven by a strong desire to serve the nation, the couple decided to train members of the Indian Armed Forces without charging any fee. In the year 1996, they reached out to the chiefs of the Army, Navy, BSF, and NSG. This initiative proved to be a resounding success, and there was no looking back for Seema and her husband after that.

Seema Rao’s journey to realizing her dream was not easy. Shortly after their marriage, the couple faced various financial hardships because they did not accept any remuneration for their work. Moreover, they incurred significant expenses in obtaining various certifications and undergoing training. She had to work frequently in adverse weather conditions and treacherous, inaccessible terrains; consequently, she could not even attend her father’s funeral. Realizing that maintaining a pregnancy during such rigorous training was impossible, the family made a conscious decision to adopt a daughter rather than have a biological child.

The 1990s marked the advent of a new form of warfare: ‘Close Quarters Battle’ (CQB), fought within a range of 30 yards. Commandos fought at very close quarters during the Kargil War; subsequently, Close Quarters Battle (CQB) became a crucial aspect of counter-terrorism operations. Terrorists often appear suddenly in densely populated areas and open fire at close range. Conventional combat methods; specifically, aiming and firing prove ineffective against such sudden bursts of fire, failing to achieve the desired objective. Meanwhile, the CQB tactics of the World War II era became obsolete by the 1990s. New strategies demanded skills such as instinctive or ‘reflex’ shooting with rifles, rapid pistol handling, precise use of knives and bayonets, hand-to-hand combat, and the employment of other appropriate weaponry. Over time, Seema and her husband acquired expertise and certifications in CQB. Within the next two decades, the couple emerged as trainers and pioneers of state-of-the-art CQB techniques for the Indian armed forces. Anti-hijack operations involving aircraft or vehicles are also part of CQB. In an interview, Seema Rao stated: “I can shoot an apple off a person’s head from 50 yards without giving him a scratch and I can evade a speeding bullet aimed at my head with ease.”

Seema Rao suffered injuries on multiple occasions during her career; for instance, she once fractured her spine after falling from a ‘monkey rope’ at a height of 50 feet, and on another occasion, she sustained a severe head injury, resulting in temporary memory loss – after falling while distracted upon receiving news of her father’s death during a grappling bout.
** A grappling bout is a form of hand-to-hand combat in which, without punching or kicking, one grapples with the opponent to throw them down, take them to the ground, and defeat them through technique. **
Terrorists even fired at him. Yet, nothing could shake his resolve; overcoming numerous obstacles time and again, he would always return to the commando training he loved.

The then Home Minister Chidambaram appointed Seema Rao and Major Deepak Rao as ‘resources’—or trainers—under the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide ‘Close Quarter Battle’ (CQB) training to police forces across all states; notably, police personnel from 16 states were trained, and the duo accepted no remuneration for this work. “It’s not easy. It never is. But who likes it easy anyway. Bring it on!!”

The documentary ‘EQUAL’, based on the life of Dr. Seema Rao, has won an award at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Released in 2018, this 28-minute documentary chronicles her journey from childhood to becoming India’s first and only female commando trainer. In an English-language interview, Seema Rao stated:
Q. You have a degree in Immunology from Harvard Medical College, one in Human Rights from Stanford University and another in Leadership from Westminster Business School. How has your education contributed to your career as a combat trainer?
Answer- My study of medicine helped in my role as a combat trainer because it] gave me a deeper understanding of the vital areas of the human body. These are areas that when attacked—barehanded or with a weapon—can cause serious damage like maiming, crippling, handicapping or death. My study of International Human Rights endorsed the importance that women could play in the workforce area and expanded my ideas on how women can be empowered in different spheres of life and work.

Dr. Rao has been honored with numerous awards and accolades, such as the “Nari Shakti Puraskar” which is the highest national award specifically for Indian women – in recognition of her role as the first and only female commando trainer. She has also received the “World Peace Award” from the World Peace Congress in Malaysia, the U.S. President’s “Volunteer Service Award,” three (or four?) citations or special recognitions from the Army Chief, and training in “Close Quarter Battle.” In recognition of her selfless national service, Seema Rao received a ‘Letter of Commendation’ from the Union Home Minister of India in 2009, along with at least 1,000 felicitations from the Government of India. Although the President of India had conferred a specific rank upon Major Deepak Rao, Seema Rao did not receive the same due to the lack of appropriate provisions within strict government regulations; nevertheless, she accepted it with great grace.

Seema Rao earned the sixth spot on Forbes’ ‘Woman Power’ list; was selected for ‘India Today’s’ ‘Ultimate She List of Power Women’ and Femina’s ‘Woman We Love’ list; was honored with the titles of ‘Dynamic Woman of the Year’ by The Indian Express and ‘Fit to Fight Woman of the Year’ by Reebok; and was recognized as a ‘Most Inspiring Woman’ by Harper’s Bazaar. “Each award means a lot – they are all about appreciation of one’s work. But to be honest, receiving the Nari Shakti award from the President of India is something I hold very dear to my heart. My achievements would be incomplete without this award,” The quote that inspired her, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

In the book *Yes She Can* by Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, she is described as one of the world’s 14 most influential women, alongside figures like Theresa May and Melinda Gates. She has been honored with the title “Woman of Substance” by magazines such as *Femina*, *Savvy*, *Vogue*, *Forbes*, *Verve*, *New Woman*, *Society*, *Grazia*, and *US Mag V*. Despite such widespread recognition, Dr. Seema Rao prefers to keep a low profile.

“Every achievement has a difficult journey behind it. Seema has fractured almost every bone in her body. She once slipped from a monkey rope at a height of 50 feet and suffered vertebral fracture. During a grappling bout with a fellow soldier, she got upset when she heard the news of her father’s sudden demise. She lost her focus and took a fall on her head, causing severe head injury with loss of memory for months. Seema got randomly shot by terrorists more than once but nothing deterred her determination to serve.”

Dr. Seema Rao is an inspiration to crores of women worldwide as an epitome of empowerment to shatter the gender barrier and achieve maximum potential. Ranked by Forbes as No 6 in Woman Power, listed in India Today Ultimate She List of Power Women, voted ‘Woman We Love’ by Femina, selected as 1 of 14 most influential women in the world, Indian Express ‘Dynamic Woman of the Year’, selected Reebok ‘Fit to Fight Woman of the Year’, Harper Bazaar’s ‘Most Inspiring Woman’ & Winner of highest National Award for Women in the Republic of India!

As this bold and courageous woman, who calls herself 50-years-young, says: “it’s not easy. It never is. But who likes it easy anyway. Bring it on!!”

Going back to history, one episode of Eve Teasing changed her personality forever, and a new life began.
(https://www.sociostory.org/impact-stories/fusion-of-brain-beauty-and-brawn-dr-seema-raos-journey-from-weakness-to-strength-has-been-incredible)

References:
http://www.indiatimes.com/culture/
Forbes India – Dr Seema Rao: India’s First Female Combat Trainer, December 2021.
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sunday-chronicle/
https://thestoryindia.com/2021
http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/
https://www.drseemarao.com/

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