Manisha Meena wakes up at five in the morning, every day. The Thar desert is quiet then, except of a cool but sharp wind that carries dust and sand through the fenced Line of Control (LoC) that separates India and Pakistan. The LOC is only visible to the eye because of the wired and electrified fence that divides the land—only India has a fence, Pakistan does not.
While patrolling the fence Meena, who is a sub-inspector, has to watch her “counterpart” who patrols near the outpost on the Pakistan side, and also other dangers. “The desert is full of reptiles— snakes and scorpions. It is especially hard to keep an eye out for the counterpart while watching out for the reptiles,” she says.
For most citizens, the borders are cartographic lines on a school atlas, but for the men and women of the BSF, it is a living, breathing tension they patrol in shifts: 12-hour watches of dust, heat, wind, and the relentless weight of vigilance.
“The border is the line between two countries which it is our duty to ensure no one crosses,” says DIG Y.S. Rathore. He adds that “The BSF isn’t just India’s first line of defence. It’s a promise—that no traitor gets a chance to betray us, and no enemy goes undetected.”
The BSF is patrols India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh by land; it is known as India’s first line of defence on land. In Rajasthan, the border force patrols long stretches of arid, often inhospitable desert, where temperatures swing from one extreme to the other. For Second-in-Command Jaipal Singh, who serves on this stretch, “isolation” is the biggest problem the BSF faces while stationed at such borders. “There’s no network, no civilian population.”
A typical day for troops starts with physical training at dawn—running, push-ups, drills. Then, breakfast which is followed by inspections, maintenance of equipment, and training sessions. By 10 in the morning, as the sun beats down heavy on the desert, troops start their patrol shifts, navigating barbed-wire fences under scorching heat or during pitch-dark nights during which the only lights are the floodlights on the LoC fence. They have to scan for movement across the border, staying alert for everything from smugglers to spies.
Sub-Inspector Meena, who has been stationed at the Indo-Pak border in Jaisalmer for three years, is one of the 24 women posted on the base. “The most difficult thing here,” she says, “is the isolation. There’s no civilian interaction. But our troops become like family. When I miss my family in Delhi, I spend time with them. It lightens the load.”
She says that “The weather is extreme,” she says. “Scorching heat in summer, biting cold in winter. And then there are the reptiles. Scorpions, snakes. During night patrols, you’re keeping an eye on the other side—but you’re also watching the ground beneath your boots.”
Her main responsibility, she adds, was “to observe the counterpart”—the Pakistani Rangers who operate just across the fence. “If something happens there, we must be the first to see. That’s the job.”
But there is also pride. “To get an opportunity to serve the nation is a matter of pride for me personally,” Meena says. “If I’m standing here, then behind me my family and the people of the nation are sleeping well.”
DIG Rathore says that much of what sustains BSF troops isn’t just the equipment or even training—but trust. “We instil pride right from training. And we tell our troops: your commanders will always have your back. That belief—that the person leading them will stand beside them in the trenches—keeps morale high.”
The BSF began inducting women into its ranks in 2008. Initially, the force recruited women as constables. In 2013, women officers joined in combat roles. DIG Rathore says since then the force has improved with the introduction of women officers.
“We have many women troops at the border,” Rathore says. “And once a woman puts on the uniform, we don’t look at gender. That person is a troop. That’s all that matters.” He adds, with deliberate conviction: “Women have shown that if given a chance, they are exceptional.
Still, the life of a border officer is demanding. Rotations are long; visits home are few. “Mental health is tested,” says Jaipal Singh, adds that “it helps when your unit becomes your second family.”
