We only know Jammu and Kashmir for its beauty. If not its beauty, it is the political terror, the war and the animosity that always make it to the news.
The state is a lot more than just tourism and politics, it is about the people, the culture, and the unity amidst the diversity.
The people have a different story there, their struggle is a lot more than the people in other states.
The sad part is that their human resource is something that has still not been tapped to its fullest, it remains undermined in the terror of war and politics
In such scenario, a girl dared to dream and make it come true. Ayesha Aziz, an inspiration for everyone who has dreams that they want to fulfill.
The 21-Year-old Ayesha Aziz got her commercial flying license last week. She is now aspiring to become the 1st Indian woman to fly an MIG-29 fighter jet situated at Russia Sokul’s airbase.
She said,
“The first time I flew an aircraft with my parents on board, the greatest feeling I had was of independence … a sense of liberation,”
Ayesha graduated in aviation last year from Bombay Flying Club.
Ayesha credits her success to her father Abdul Aziz. Her father is all praises for her,
“I have always believed that knowledge and inquiry are keys to human progress. If my child had a dream which was achievable, I had to be part of the process and see that she realized this dream,”
When the news of her youngest woman pilot was all across the media, there were few orthodox, close minded people who were painting a sad picture.
There were comments like “A Muslim girl without hijab, not a perfect profession for a Kashmiri girl” and many more comments as such.
Ayesha is very headstrong about her ambitions and she knows how to tackle such situation. She can win any gender equality debate just like that.
She said,
“If the Prophet’s wife Hazrat Ayesha could ride a camel in a battle, why can’t I fly an aircraft? We have to change our attitude and do justice to girls.”
She added,
“Women must be allowed to come out of their comfort zone and take up more challenging careers than just becoming teachers, doctors or stay as housewives even if they are educated.”
Talking about the scope of flying in India and the gender stereotyping, she revealed,
“There are 11.3% women pilots in India against just 3% globally. But there is a lot of scope for more women to join this challenging profession,”
The young Ayesha is a big admirer of astronaut Sunita Williams and she considers her as her inspiration.
