India's Woman Fighter Pilot Trailblazer Eyes Space

ETVBHARAT

Shivangi Singh, India's first woman Rafale pilot, overcame stereotypes with determination and dreams of becoming an astronaut as she continues breaking barriers in aviation.

Transcript

00:00In a quiet corner of New Delhi, a little girl once stood in awe at an Air Force Museum.

00:11That girl is now flying one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world.

00:19Meet Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, the first and only Indian woman to fly the Rafale.

00:27This is the place where my journey started. As you can see the aircraft around, these were my inspiration.

00:34My grandfather used to get me over here to look at these aircraft and seeing these vintage aircraft.

00:39It just filled me with that exhilaration and that passion to be in that cockpit and fly.

00:44That is how my journey started.

00:47She grew up in Varanasi, inspired by her grandfather and guided by her mother's belief that education is important,

00:54but independence is everything.

00:57My mother was a great source of inspiration who wanted me to be independent as well as educated.

01:03From there, she had backed me up. Initially, I joined Airwing NCC. I flew micro lights.

01:09That ingrained in me that I want to fly and there is no other profession as of now for me.

01:15Shivangi trained hard in classrooms, on fields and finally in the cockpit.

01:22From her first nervous flight in a MiG-21 to the powerful roar of a Rafale jet, she proved that courage knows no gender.

01:35The first time that I sat in the cockpit, you feel that nervousness, the anxiety when you are in that new environment.

01:41However, over a period of time, you get trained to be able to control that aircraft to its limits.

01:47So the first time when you go solo is that first time you feel that zeal that nobody else is there to land it.

01:54And that is what we have been told that if you get airborne, you have to land.

01:58Increasing number of these women in our society is not only an indication of a modernization,

02:03but also that we can do whatever we want to if we set our minds.

02:08Today, she represents a changing India, modern, strong and full of possibility.

02:17I want to be an astronaut. So let's hope that I complete my training and get on that.

02:23Your training right now?

02:25Yeah, basically, so to be one of the astronauts, we have to be a test pilot.

02:32So right now I am going for one of my courses, but surely soon if I am qualified enough, I will be doing that.

02:40And tomorrow, she dreams of space, aiming to become an astronaut.

02:45Because for Shivangi, the sky is not the limit.

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