• By Abhirupa Kundu
  • Fri, 05 Jan 2024 07:42 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Air India pilot Captain Zoya Agarwal's "Udaan Pari" recently gave wings to Nadrat, a young girl living in a slum in Dharavi whose financial condition had caged her from fulfilling her aviation dreams. A famous name in the aviation sector and "Bharat Ki Beti" awardee, Zoya came to Nadrat's aid and is attempting to make her dream of becoming a pilot a reality.

A renowned pilot, Zoya talking about helping underprivileged girls, said that all "desh ki beti" (country's daughters) should be given the opportunity to fulfill their aspirations and that lack of resources should not pose as a hindrance to these dreams.

"This is just the beginning. I want to make this from a dream to reality, for every girl who's got fire in her soul. The aviation sector is rapidly growing, it is going to double in the next 14-15 years. We need our girls. We cannot let our girls be discouraged just because they lack resources. This is my bit in PM Modi's dream of India shining at 75," Zoya said.

She said that she was only doing her bit to give wings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "India shinning at 75" dream.

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Nadrat Speaks

Financial troubles had never stopped Nadrat from dreaming, she always wanted to join the aviation sector. Even when all ways seemed to have shut down, Dharavi slum's Nadrat did not let fate decide her destiny. She found ways to reach her role model-cum mentor Zoya to let her know about her aspirations.

"We had no resources", she recalled as she spoke to the news agency ANI, narrating how Zoya helped her to forge the path to her ambitions.

"My mother wanted me to pursue engineering but I realised I wanted to become a pilot. But we had no resources to fund my training. Even though I cleared the flying school entrance test, I was rejected because of my financial background. Ever since Zoya Agarwal received the 'Bharat ki Beti' award from PM Modi, I felt she would be the one to help me complete my story," Nadrat said.

She said that she had heard about Zoya's initiative "Udaan Pari" and made up her mind to establish contact with the pilot, who she knew would help her fulfill her dreams.

Who is Zoya Agarwal? Star pilot and "Bharat Ki Beti"

A senior Air India Pilot, Zoya is the first Indian woman to fly over the North Pole covering a record-breaking distance of around 16,000 kilometres and became the only human being to secure a spot at the San Franciso's SFO Aviation Museum.

An all-woman team led by Agarwal, in 2021, covered the world's longest air route from San Franciso in the United States to Bengaluru flying over the North Pole en route.

"I was amazed to see that I'm the only living object over there, I am just humbled honestly. I can't believe that I am a part of the prestigious aviation museum in the US," Zoya had told news agency ANI in an interview.

Apart from this, the Captain is also a spokesperson for gender equality at the United Nations (UN) and even runs her own venture "Udaan Pari".

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