Limited resources can never be a hurdle in the way of success if one is determined to achieve a target. And Sania Mirza, who is all set to become India's first Muslim female fighter pilot, proved it by cracking the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam with flying colours.
Yes, you heard it right. Daughter of a TV mechanic, Sania who belongs to Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur will join the Indian Air Force as the first Muslim female fighter pilot.
She achieved her dream of becoming a fighter pilot by securing 149th position in the NDA exam.
Since her childhood, Sania aspired to be a fighter pilot, and her inspiration is none other than the first female pilot, Avni Chaturvedi.
“I cracked NDA and secured overall 149th rank and got selected for the Air Force. When I saw Avni Chaturvedi, the first woman pilot on YouTube, I got inspired. I cracked NDA on the second attempt,” she was quoted saying to India Today.
As we know, life is not a bed of roses. She did not clear the NDA exam on the very first attempt. She cleared it on her second attempt.
“I failed to grab a seat on the first attempt because there were only two women-reserved seats in the fighter pilot wing. Despite stiff competition, I managed to grab a seat on the second attempt,” she was quoted saying to a newspaper.
Meanwhile, IAF has issued a clarification stating that it takes years for a candidate to be commissioned as a pilot in the IAF.
Sania completed her Class 10 class exam from Pandit Chintamani Dubey Inter College. Later, she took admission to Mirzapur's Guru Nanak Girls Inter College, where she cleared her 12th-grade diploma and became the district topper.
She believes that it is wrong to opine that only aspirants with strong English communication abilities are selected for this prestigious league. She made it possible although she belonged to a Hindi-medium school. All that matters is determination and hard work, she added.