This article was originally published on Qrius.com
In March 2014, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha told the reporters, “Women are by nature not physically suited for flying fighter planes for long hours, especially when they are pregnant or have other health problems.” On the 83rd anniversary of the Indian Air Force, Marshal Raha announced that women would be inducted into “the fighter stream to meet the aspirations of young women of India.” On 19th February 2018, Avani Chaturvedi became India’s first female to fly a fighter aircraft solo, thus creating history.
The origin of her dedication
Now an idol for women all over India, Avani Chaturvedi once told her mother that she would one day become like Kalpana Chawla. The first Indian woman to travel to outer space was her biggest inspiration as well as her motivation to pursue her passion.
With her childhood dream of touching the skies, Avani had joined the flight club at her college in order to learn the basics of flying. She was born in Madhya Pradesh, in the Rewa district and she completed her schooling from Deoland. After that, Avani studied Technology at the Banasthali University in Rajasthan. For Avani, her brother who is a part of the Indian Army was also a huge inspiration.
From him, she inherited a desire to serve her nation and hence, completed her training at the Hyderabad Air Force Academy. After this, Avani’s passion for flying developed even further, prompting her to give the exam to join the Indian Air Force. Knowing that it was but a dream to be in the Air Force, Avani also procured a job with IBM in the technological field and hid her appearance for the exam. Now, at the age of 24, she has succeeded in achieving her dream and has made history.
Avani’s first flight was in a MiG-21 Bison, a jet that is said to have a speed of three hundred and forty kilometres per hour, the highest for both take-off and landing. This flight also initiated her year-long, rigorous training session. Her training will include learning how to flight at night, take part in the air-to-air combat as well as air-to-ground combat.
All of these include challenges that will test her true potential, making it a methodical and scrupulous training process. Along with Avani, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh were also among the first women to be inducted into the fighter squadron. They too will soon commence their training.
The Air Force’s message for all Indians
Avani Chaturvedi has also put India on the list of the few countries to have female fighter pilots. Due to the prevalent patriarchal mindsets, women are mostly excluded in several countries from combat roles. The archaic mentality that women are not strong fighters has slowly started to change with the encouragement provided by institutions such as the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Air Force recently released an advertisement questioning gender stereotypes. It depicted women standing between men in the Air Force, dismissing the idea of gender-based bias. The video is a step forward in terms of questioning the Indian mentality. It questions the mentality that women are born with the duty to care for the household. It further goes on to point out the stereotypes that have now found their place in society which depict women as the weaker sex.
It talks about how women are expected to live by and conform to societal norms. Through this advertisement, the Indian Air Force tried to question the barriers put on the potential of a woman. They also attempted to encourage women to go beyond their limits and stand up for their dreams and aspirations.
“Any air force is defined by its fighters. My dream is to become a good fighter pilot, on whom my seniors can rely when it comes to flying live operations. I want to fly the best fighter aircraft and learn more and more each day,” said Avani.
In December 2017, two more women were selected to become trainee pilots in the fighter stream, ensuring that women are no longer held back from reaching their full capabilities. For India, this new development is a step towards ridding itself of the patriarchal mentality which still oppresses change.
Comments