Two more women fighter pilots inducted into IAF

Two more young women fighter pilots, who were inducted into Indian Air Force, were the cynosure of all eyes on Saturday.

The smiles turned to tears of joy and pride for Flying Officers Shivangi Singh and Prathiba, as soon as they came off from the parade ground at the Dundigal Air Force Academy, to meet their families and friends, with hugs, wishes and photo sessions taking over from there.

For them, it was their childhood dream to become a pilot, and their inspiration were Flying Officers Mohana Singh, Bhawana Kanth and Avani Chaturvedi, first women fighter pilots in IAF.

It was Shivangi Singh’s childhood dream to “fly like a free bird” that inspired her to join IAF. Shivangi, a native of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh who completed her graduation in B.Sc (Physics). said convincing her parents and relatives was a big task for her.

“We stay in a joint family. When I declared that I want to join the forces and serve the nation, my parents and other family members were hesitant . Slowly, I started proving myself in sports and other activities and they finally agreed,” she said.

However, Prathiba said that her father inspired her to join the IAF.

Prathiba, who hails from Rajgarh in Rajasthan, is the daughter of an ex-Army officer Chhoturam Poonia. She did her B.Tech (Computer Science) and then joined the IAF.

The duo will now undergo further training on Hawks in Bidar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Abhinay Deshpande / Hyderabad – December 16th, 2017