On a scorching summer season day in Hyderabad, proud dad and mom gathered to look at their kids take an oath to serve the nation. Amongst them stood Om Prakash Pahal and his spouse, a pair from Datauli in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri district.

Their eyes welled up as they noticed their daughter, clad within the crisp blue uniform of the Indian Air Drive, march with confidence and salute with pleasure. For them, it was not only a passing-out parade, however the realisation of a dream that they had as soon as been informed was unattainable.

That daughter was Sunita Pahal, who went on to function a Wing Commander within the Air Drive for 14 years, breaking boundaries and stereotypes at each step.

Impressed by Kargil, pushed by conviction

Born in 1986, Sunita was simply 13 when the Kargil Struggle erupted in 1999. Televised pictures of troopers battling in icy terrains and tales of bravery left an indelible mark on her younger thoughts.

“That was the second I knew,” Sunita remembers. “That is one thing I wish to do, one thing I may even give my life for.”

Not like most women in her village, who had been anticipated to pursue educating or home roles, Sunita dreamed of reaching the skies.

After finishing a level in laptop engineering, she tried the Air Drive Widespread Admission Take a look at (AFCAT) and the Companies Choice Board (SSB) interview. Towards all odds, she cleared each in her first try, with out teaching or mentorship—relying solely on grit and dedication.

However conviction alone wasn’t sufficient.

Coming from a rural background in Haryana, convincing her household and group was a unique battle altogether. “Folks mentioned the navy was no place for women. They anxious about security, hygiene, and even my marriage prospects,” she says. As soon as, a neighbour even warned her mom to not let her be a part of the academy.

Her father, Om Prakash, remembers these days vividly. “We had simply two acres of land and some cattle. Life was tough. I earned Rs 50 a month in my first job, and later Rs 500 with the training society. We’ve 5 daughters and a son. Folks informed me to not waste cash on women’ training. However I believed training was the one approach ahead.

“Regardless of the taunts, I stayed agency. When folks requested why I used to be educating my daughters, I informed them: you need to do the identical. At the moment, those self same folks come to me with pleasure and say, ‘Your daughters have made us proud.’”

The brutality of coaching

If society questioned her resolve, coaching examined her physique and spirit.

“I wasn’t an athlete,” Sunita admits. “I had by no means run 5 kilometres, by no means executed a push-up. All of a sudden, on the academy, we had been working 10 kilometres, drilling for hours, enduring punishments in 42-degree warmth till our knuckles bled. Many nights, I cried. However each morning, I received up and did it once more. That resilience outlined me.”

It was this toughness that reworked her from a small-town woman right into a assured officer main males in uniform.

First posting, first commendation

In 2008, Sunita’s first posting was at a premier fighter base within the Northeast. The shift was dramatic. From by no means stepping outdoors Haryana, she was instantly managing operations, main airmen and dealing with complicated technical assignments.

“It was overwhelming, however I learnt quick—from battle administration and management to technical expertise. I needed to show myself day-after-day.”

Her efforts paid off. She obtained a commendation in her very first posting, changing into the primary in her batch of 300 officers to realize the honour.

The problem of being a lady officer

Within the Air Drive, women and men face the identical assignments—whether or not jungles, deserts or ahead bases. “However as a lady, you all the time really feel the necessity to show your self twice over,” Sunita explains.

“Some colleagues didn’t consider girls may match up. That solely motivated me additional. I made certain no person may query my stamina, my work, or my dedication.”

This dedication carried her by means of a profession that included operationalising a premier fighter squadron and contributing to the induction of Air Drive One, for which she was recommended by the Chief of Air Employees.

Rising to Wing Commander

In 2021, Sunita was promoted to Wing Commander. “Carrying the three stripes on my shoulders was each heavy and fulfilling,” she says. “It meant not simply main jawans, but additionally officers, shaping operations and contributing to nationwide defence. It was one of many proudest moments of my life.”

For her dad and mom, the pleasure was equally profound. “The primary time we noticed her in uniform at Hyderabad, it was unforgettable,” says her father. “We had tears in our eyes. We knew then that each one the sacrifices had been price it.”

Past the uniform

After serving 14 years, Sunita opted for voluntary retirement. The preliminary engagement for girls officers is 10 years, extendable by 4. “I accomplished 14 and felt it was time to discover new horizons. I’m not somebody who stays in a single place for too lengthy. I prefer to maintain discovering.”

At the moment, she heads administration and IT at a multinational company in Bengaluru, carrying ahead the self-discipline, management and resilience she learnt within the forces.

Sunita believes society’s angle in the direction of girls within the navy is altering, albeit slowly. “After I joined, folks had been sceptical. Years later, when one other woman from my village joined the Military, folks mentioned: if Sunita may do it, so can she. There’s extra respect now, however hesitation stays.”

Her father sees the identical shift. “Earlier, folks didn’t wish to educate women. Now, dad and mom usually focus extra on daughters, as a result of they see how succesful they’re. Ladies are excelling in every single place.”

Requested what she would say to hesitant dad and mom, Sunita’s response is straightforward but highly effective: “The sky belongs to everybody. Give wings to your daughters, and allow them to fly.”

All pictures courtesy: Sunita Pahal.