Priya Sharma Becomes The 7th Woman Fighter Pilot In India & Urges Girls To Join The Air Force

Just yesterday, Army Chief Bipin Rawat was harping on about how women are not fit for combat roles, while using raising kids and “peeping men” as excuses to further his opinion. However, now he’ll probably eating his words after knowing that Priya Sharma, along with three others, have joined the Indian Air Force as fighter pilots.

According to Mumbai Mirror, Priya Sharma has become the third woman fighter pilot from Rajasthan and the seventh woman fighter pilot in India. She passed out of the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad as Flying Officer, along with 23 other women and 115 men.

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Priya is the only fighter to graduate from the AFA on Saturday. She has done her schooling from IIIT, Kota. But then she had to move to Dundigal and Hakimpet in July 2017 to complete her first and second stages of training. And her third stage will begin in January at Bidar Air Force Station.

For Priya, her inspiration was her father, who was posted as ATC Office at the Bidar Air Force Station. And according to her, Air Force is the best place to explore and serve the nation. She says,

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“As a fighter pilot, I would say, you should give it a try, it’s definitely worth it. The case of us three (Mohana, Pratibha and Priya) should be an inspiration for other girls from Rajasthan to join the Defence Force.”

And as for the incidents of crashes during training, Priya says that it’s a part and parcel of the job and it should motivate you, instead of stopping you from completing the training.

To be honest, there aren’t any job that are specifically meant for men or women. It’s just a select few who voice their opinions a bit too loudly to announce their existence. But Priya (along with Mohana and Pratibha) are proof that if you put your mind to it, you can muffle those voices and make your country proud.

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