Meet The Woman Pilot Who Flew To China As Part Of Vande Bharat Mission When The Pandemic Began
Laxmi Joshi is an inspiration to every young girl who dreams big of flying an airplane - the pilot was only eight years old when she first sat in an airplane, and that is exactly when she know that she wanted to become a pilot.
Laxmi Joshi is an inspiration to every young girl who dreams big of flying an airplane - the pilot was only eight years old when she first sat in an airplane, and that is exactly when she knew that she wanted to become a pilot.
After growing up, she worked hard to achieve her dream. She was among the several pilots who volunteered for the Vande Bharat mission which began in May 2020 to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to the travel restrictions put in place due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Recently, Ms Joshi spoke to Humans of Bombay about her experience, and achieving her childhood dream of becoming a pilot. She said that she underwent training to become a pilot and how she flew three flights a month during the peak of the pandemic to rescue Indians stranded abroad.
During her conversation with Humans of Bombay, Mr Joshi said that her father took out a loan so she could train to become a pilot. "Go for it, beta. The sky's the limit!" he told her.
After two years of hard work and dedication, Mr Joshi got her pilot license. "My dreams had gotten wings, I was ecstatic! Soon after, I landed a job with Air India, the national carrier," she added. Her father, being one of her biggest cheerleaders, supported her throughout her journey.
When relatives would ask, 'How will she settle now?' He'd reply, 'Meri beti uddne ke liye bani hai (my daughter was born to fly),'" Ms Joshi told Humans of Bombay.
However, as much as Joshi loved her job, she wanted to do more than just travel. So, when the coronavirus-induced pandemic began, and the Vande Bharat mission started, she volunteered to fly abroad to rescue stranded Indians.
Her parents were worried, but "when I explained how important the mission was, they reluctantly agreed," said Joshi.
As part of the rescue mission, her first flight was to Shanghai in China. "China being the hot spot of Covid, everyone was distressed. Our aim was to bring back all the Indians stuck there... We all wore hazmat suits through the course of the flight, I flew the flight wearing one," she said.
When the flight landed in India, the passengers gave the crew a standing ovation. " One little girl came up to me and said, 'I want to be like you!' And I told her what Papa told me, 'The sky's the limit!'"
After the first mission, Joshi flew three rescue flights a month. "Once, I even flew to bring medical aid to India. That was the strangest flight - instead of passengers, we travelled with hundreds of carton boxes," she said.
The coronavirus pandemic is in its third year now, and the Vande Bharat mission is still active. Joshi will soon fly out to Newark to bring home Indians who are stranded there.
"Papa says he is proud of me. He recently told me, 'I used to tell you the sky's the limit. But you've scaled even that! Keep flying!' And that's what I'm going to do... Keep flying!" the pilot said.
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