Ayesha Aziz Of Kashmiri Heritage Soars To New Heights As India’s Youngest Female Pilot
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Indian women are known for breaking the glass ceiling and proving themselves to be as worthy if not better than men in the same professions as them. Like many young girls of her age, Ayesha Aziz too, had major dreams of her own. As a child, Ayesha had to travel back and forth between her father’s home in Mumbai and her mother’s ancestral home in Kashmir. During this time, Ayesha developed a liking for soaring into the skies. At merely 10 years of age, Ayesha was already convinced that she saw a future for herself working in the airline industry, and more specifically, as a pilot. So, here is her story and how she hopes to inspire a generation of young Kashmiri women like herself to soar to new heights and achieve whatever they dream of:
Soaring To The Skies
Ayesha always had a liking for flying, and she spoke about how when she was younger, her brother would feel frightened and sleep during the flight. Ayesha on the other hand, was always fascinated with the journey and would pay special attention when her flight was taking off. In an interview with a leading news daily, Ayesha revealed her goals and dreams. “Becoming the youngest pilot was not important for me, but what exactly is joyous is that I have achieved my dream and goal of my life,” she was quoted as saying. Her love for flying took her to new heights, and she spoke about how her parents were highly encouraging of her goals.
In the year 2011, at just 15 years of age, Ayesha broke the record of becoming the youngest student pilot to acquire a flying license. The aspiring young pilot learned how to fly a MiG-29 jet at the Russian air base in Sokol. In 2012, she received the opportunity to undergo a two-month-long training program at none other than the International Space Agency, NASA. While she was at NASA, Ayesha even got to meet her role model, Sunita Williams and famed astronaut John McBride. During her stay in the United States, she managed to complete an advanced training course at the Space Academy in Huntsville. She learned how to operate in microgravity, how to manually maneuver her unit, extra-vehicular activity and also underwent multi-axis training.
Obtaining A Commercial License And Other Endeavors
In the year 2016, sanitary pad manufacturer Whisper, released an advertisement that featured Ayesha along with four other brave Indian women for their International Women’s Day campaign. In the year 2017, Ayesha graduated in the field of Aviation and earned her commercial flying license from Bombay Flying Club. Ayesha holds a strong attachment with her Kashmiri heritage and roots. She hopes to inspire many young Kashmiri women to achieve their dreams and had this to say about them, “I think Kashmiri women are doing very well, especially in terms of education. Every other woman in Kashmir is doing her Masters or her doctorate. People of the Valley are doing great,”
She also added that she believes that receiving the right support from parents is also an extremely important factor when it comes to achieving success. Her father, Abdul Aziz is an industrialist hailing from the city of Mumbai while her mother, Khalida Aziz, is a resident of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. Ayesha’s brother, Areeb, also looks towards her as inspiration and has dreams of his own. Ayesha believes that young Kashmiri women have been doing extremely well and spoke about how the valley is more progressive than people think.
On Her Decision To Take Up Flying
When asked why she chose to work in this field in particular, Ayesha was quite honest about her choice. She spoke about how she is a huge travel buff and ever since she started taking flights to Kashmir as a child, she wanted to learn how to fly herself. She also added that she wanted to take up a challenging job that allows her the opportunity to meet new people and interact with those from other cultures. She enjoys the fact that she doesn’t have to work a 9-5 job and that her schedule is more flexible. She also spoke about how one is required to learn a sense of responsibility when they take up this profession as they are responsible for not just their own lives but the 200 passengers that trust them with the responsibility of flying them across.
She may just be 25 year old but she is pretty set in her life in terms of goals and what she wants to achieve. Ever proud of her Kashmiri heritage, she speaks about having a fondness for Nun Chai (Kashmiri style salt tea) and Kashmiri cuisine. Although she only spent around four years in Kashmir, she speaks the language fluently and relates more towards that side of her culture. She spoke about how she would like to partake in humanitarian services and help the poor and the needy in her lifetime. She added that she would someday like to collaborate with global Human Rights groups like UNICEF.
It’s not everyday that a woman breaks boundaries and achieves such great heights of success. We are proud of Ayesha and her incredible talent and we hope that her story serves as inspiration not just to her fellow Kashmiri women but all Indian women. Do let us know your thoughts on this article in the comment section below.
