Uttar Pradesh: The daughter of a TV mechanic from Mirzapur, Sania Mirza, has been selected to become a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and would be the country’s first Muslim girl and the State’s first female IAF pilot.
Interacting with media, her father, Shahid Ali, said, “Sania considers the country’s first fighter pilot Avni Chaturvedi as her role model. From the beginning, she wanted to be like her. Sania is the second girl in the country who has been selected as a fighter pilot.”
Sania Mirza, a resident of Jasovar village under the Mirzapur Dehat Kotwali police station area, secured this post by clearing the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam. Sania studied in a Hindi medium school and said that Hindi medium students, too, can accomplish success if they are committed.
According to the reports, on December 27 2022, she will join NDA Khadakwasla in Pune. The parents, as well as the villagers, feel proud of her.
Sania studied from primary to Class 10 in the village at Pandit Chintamani Dubey Inter College. After that, she moved to the city and looked at Guru Nanak Girls Inter College, where she was the district topper in the 12th UP Board. She started her preparations for NDA at Centurion Defense Academy. She credits her parents, as well as the Centurion Defense Academy, for this achievement. She said that the National Defense Academy 2022 exam only had two seats reserved for women as fighter pilots. “I could not grab a seat on the first attempt, but I have found a place on my second attempt”, she added.
Sania’s mother, Tabassum Mirza, said, “Our daughter has made us and the entire village proud. She fulfils the dream of becoming the first fighter pilot. She inspired every girl in the village to follow their dreams.”
In 2015, the Government of India decided to open combat roles to women in the IAF on an experimental basis for five years. As a result, in 2016, the IAF commissioned three women as fighter pilots. Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth, and Mohana Singh created history by becoming the first female combat pilots in the IAF.
In the National Defense Academy 2022 examination, there were 400 seats, including male and female. There were 19 seats for women, and two chairs were reserved for fighter pilots. In these two seats, Sania managed to get a spot on the strength of her talent.
