Deep within the nation's first commercial 500 MW fast breeder reactor, a potent demonstration of Nari Shakti is already taking place as India gets ready for a new parliamentary debate on the Women's Reservation Bill. In the control room of India's most sophisticated atomic reactor in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, women engineers are making a significant contribution to the country's energy future.
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited, or BHAVINI, operates the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, or PFBR, which just reached criticality, marking a significant milestone.

It was a significant step toward long-term energy security and the first sustained nuclear fission reaction in India's second stage nuclear program. It was a modest, technical, and profoundly important event. Mrs. Santana Jha, a nuclear engineer who had decided to leave a lucrative position in the software business, was also present in the control room when history was created.
Jha, who was trained as a mechanical engineer in Jabalpur, quit her comfortable position at IBM to work at the country's first commercial fast breeder reactor.
When criticality was reached on April 6, she was inside the PFBR control room."It was a very quiet process," she remembered. "Everyone was focused on elevating the control rod.

There were no boisterous festivities. Instead, after years of consistent work, a profound sense of contentment emerged. "It was mixed emotions," Santana Jha remarked. "Many years of arduous labour. Everyone contributed 100% or even 200%. The outcome was that day.
It was no accident that she was present at that pivotal moment.
Since the PFBR project's inception, women have played a crucial role. Out of a total workforce of 440 at BHAVINI, 87 are women, working across scientific, technical, human resources, finance, corporate and medical roles. From construction and commissioning to the current stage of 24-hour reactor operations, they have consistently contributed.
At PFBR, women are not limited to supporting positions. Many are involved in important decision-making processes and are in charge of important parts.

In actuality, a woman attained the top executive position in BHAVINI's history. From November 2014 to January 2015, Smt. Rajani Sankaran held the position of CMD in Charge for a brief but significant time. In India's nuclear establishment, her leadership served as an early and powerful indication of institutional confidence in female leadership.
This culture of opportunity and trust is reflected in Santana Jha's own career. She has experience with both essential fuel systems and main plant operations, and she holds a licence for both fuel handling and main plant operations.
She talks about having confidence while working in an atomic plant. "I feel very confident working here, and I am not afraid at all," she stated. I have worked under every crucial circumstance and strategy.She was also there when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the reactor complex at PFBR, another momentous occasion. Jha was instrumental in the operation when the first control rod was lowered during the visit.
"We were depositing the first control rod," she clarified. "The Prime Minister was right there and we lowered it in front of him."
She recalls a leader who was intimately involved with the technology while standing next to the Prime Minister during the operation. "He was very happy and asked many technical questions about fuel handling operations," she stated.

In India's energy plan, the PFBR holds a special position. It serves as the foundation for the second phase of India's three-stage nuclear program, which Dr. Homi J. Bhabha envisioned. It is a sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor. Fast breeder reactors, in contrast to conventional reactors, generate more fuel or fissile material than they use, opening the door for the effective use of India's finite uranium supplies and the ultimate use of thorium.
The reactor core is presently maintaining a regulated nuclear fission reaction due to the successful achievement of criticality. Moving toward full commercial operation and progressively raising power levels are the next steps. When that occurs, PFBR will not only provide power but also validate decades of Indian scientific investment and pave the way for a fleet of breeder reactors in the future.

Santana Jha and many other women at PFBR believe that the objective extends beyond engineering. "Yes," she firmly replied in response to a question concerning India's energy independence. "We are putting in a lot of effort and giving it our all. We'll soon be operating on electricity."
The nuclear industry is already providing a subtle but potent counterargument as parliament gets ready to discuss women's political representation. Nari Shakti is a lived reality, not just a catchphrase, as demonstrated by women engineers who overcome preconceptions and mastered some of the world's most difficult technologies inside the control room of India's most sophisticated atomic reactor.

Women are not only taking part in India's nuclear journey from Kalpakkam, where atomic reactions are meticulously controlled and national dreams are progressively fuelled. It's being front-ended by them.