Major Swathi Shantha Kumar Age, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Major Swathi Shantha Kumar

• Major Swathi Shantha Kumar was born in a traditional Kannada family.

• She completed her schooling in Bengaluru and graduated from New Horizon College of Engineering before being commissioned into the Indian Army.

• She is an officer of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in the Indian Army.

• She was deployed to South Sudan with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and has been serving there for nearly fifteen months.

• During her deployment, Swathi Shantha Kumar conceptualised and led a project titled “Equal Partners, Lasting Peace” focused on gender-inclusive peacekeeping.

• The project aimed to enhance gender parity by effectively deploying and integrating the Indian Engagement Team at the grassroots level.

• Under her initiative and command, the team conducted short-distance patrols, long-distance patrols, integrated riverine patrols, and dynamic air patrols.

• These patrols were carried out across remote and far-flung counties within the host nation’s area of responsibility.

• The sustained operations contributed to creating a secure and supportive environment for more than 5,000 women in South Sudan.

• The initiative enabled women to participate meaningfully in community activities and strengthened confidence-building at the local level.

• Swathi Shantha Kumar’s project was nominated for the UN Secretary-General’s Awards 2025 from across all UN peacekeeping missions and UN agencies worldwide.

• The project was shortlisted and selected as the winner in the Gender Category after a UN-wide voting process involving UN personnel globally.

• It secured the highest number of votes among four finalists competing in the Gender Category. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced and honoured the winners of the Secretary-General’s Awards 2025.

• The award recognises initiatives that advance gender parity and promote gender-responsive peacekeeping in line with the UN mandate.

• The United Nations stated that the initiative strengthened the gender-inclusive approach within the UNMISS mission framework.

• Her father stated that she would return to India early next month after completing her South Sudan deployment.

• Following her return, she is expected to be posted in Secunderabad as part of her next assignment.