Meet The Woman Pilot Who Flew To China As Part Of Vande Bharat Mission
NDTV
When the pandemic hit and the Vande Bharat mission came into being, Laxmi Joshi volunteered to fly abroad to rescue stranded Indians.
Laxmi Joshi was just eight-years-old when she first sat in an airplane. She knew even then that she wanted to become a pilot - and when she grew up, she worked hard to ensure her dream came true. Ms Joshi was among the several pilots who volunteered for the Vande Bharat mission which started in May 2020 to evacuate Indians stranded abroad due to coronavirus-induced travel restrictions. She spoke to Humans of Bombay about her experience recently, opening up about her childhood dream, the training she underwent to become a pilot and how she flew three flights a month during the height of the pandemic to rescue Indians stranded abroad.
During her interview, Ms Joshi revealed that her father took 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, during which she put her "heart and soul" into training, Ms 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 recalled.
