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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

‘The Ninety-Nines’ top honour for Mumbai woman pilot

Mumbai: Sixty-six years ago, when a young Mumbai pilot, Mohini Shroff harboured a dream of flying for India, she was told that she could not even apply for it. Last weekend, the world saluted that pioneering aviatrix with ‘The Ninety-Nines, Inc.’s 2026 Award of Achievements of a lifetime. Counted among India’s earliest women pilots and the first female pilot from the minority Sindhi community, Mohini Shroff, 90, was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award-2026 by the prestigious Ninety-Nines...

‘The Ninety-Nines’ top honour for Mumbai woman pilot

Mumbai: Sixty-six years ago, when a young Mumbai pilot, Mohini Shroff harboured a dream of flying for India, she was told that she could not even apply for it. Last weekend, the world saluted that pioneering aviatrix with ‘The Ninety-Nines, Inc.’s 2026 Award of Achievements of a lifetime. Counted among India’s earliest women pilots and the first female pilot from the minority Sindhi community, Mohini Shroff, 90, was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award-2026 by the prestigious Ninety-Nines Inc. at its international conference in Las Vegas, USA. Much more than a personal achievement, the award is described as “a fitting tribute to a woman whose relentless fight helped open the skies for generations of Indian women”; and culmination of almost seven decades starting with rejections, discrimination in aviation that was considered a “man’s domain”. Earning her pilot licence in 1959, the next year Shroff responded to an advertisement of Auxiliary Air Force, hoping to serve the country. The application form never came. When she demanded an explanation, officials bluntly told her that women were not eligible for combat roles. Shocked, Shroff pointed out that the ad had invited applications from ‘candidates’ without restrictions on male of females. “I am a ‘candidate’ and I possess the necessary flying qualifications,” she emphatically reminded them. When this did not work, she confided in her friend Durba Banerjee who displayed courage and wrote to India’s first Defence Minister V. K. Krishna Menon and the first Air Chief Marshal Subroto Mukerjee with a pointed query – “Why can’t Indian women join the air force?” There was again no reply, and Shroff decided to escalate matters. Along with the trailblazer woman pilot, Capt. Chanda S. Budhabhatti, Rabia Fatehally, Sunila Bhajekar, Mangala Joshi, Kumudini Rawal and Durba Banerjee, Shroff founded the ‘Indian Women Pilots Association (IWPA)’ in 1967 in Mumbai – the 5th of its kind women fliers body in the world, with other women fliers like Prem Mathur - and now it has chapters in Canada, Australia, France, Malaysia and the UAE. Shroff’s gritty campaign soon reached then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and a delegation of IWPA’s female aviatrixes stumped her with a simple question: “If India can have a woman PM, then why can’t Indian women fly for the IAF?” Nevertheless, though she was interviewed later, the door remained shut but after another nearly three decades – in 1990 – the IAF finally opened them in inches, for women pilots. Now, Shroff, an avid fan and practitioner of aero-sports, is grateful her relentless campaign bore fruits. Immense Proud “I feel immensely proud to see women fliers sporting uniforms of the IAF, Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. They are allowed to enter the NDA (Pune) and other institutions which were once ‘No Entry’ for us,” smiled Shroff, speaking with ‘The Perfect Voice’ from Las Vegas. Her own flying journey began in 1959, when she took to the skies on a government scholarship and qualified as the first woman pilot from the minority Sindhi community – itself commendable in an era when women aviators in India could be counted on the fingers. Since 1965, Shroff has been associated with The Ninety-Nines founded (in 1929), by 99 pioneering women aviators, with the legendary Amelia Earhart as its first President. It inspired her to establish The Ninety-Nines India Section on March 26, 1976, currently celebrating its Golden Jubilee, with pilots like Chanda Sawant Budhabhatti, Rabia Futehally, Sunila Bhajekar, Durba Banerjee and Saudamini Deshmukh. These women are credited with laying the foundations for women in Indian aviation with the likes of Saudamini Deshmukh, Nivedita Jain-Bhasin, Anila Bhatia-Cheema, each with their names etched in history for various feats. “Today, India has nearly 15 pc women pilots in civil aviation, among the highest proportions anywhere in the world – and the ambition is to be higher, to 25 pc in the coming years,” said Shroff. High-flying heels ! Mohini Shroff recalls an anecdote when she won a government scholarship for flying and the interview board asked “what is your height”. The young girl said, “5 feet, 2 inches”. “Will your feet reach the rudder?” they shot back. Unsure of what exactly was a ‘rudder’, she blurted out, “I can wear high heels…” The interview board guffawed. Later, they assured that she need not wear high heels in the aircraft, and after measuring her from waist to feet, they decided to give her cushions.

BJP Boost

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

As the dust settles over the recent Assembly elections, the BJP, defying anti-incumbency prediction of political Cassandras and exit polls, is set for a historic third term in Haryana. This will buoy the party after its underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha polls. The Haryana outcome not only reinforces the BJP’s foothold in national politics but also presents a counter-narrative to the INDIA bloc’s post-election fervour.

Despite the bogey stoked by lingering farmer protests and discontent surrounding the controversial Agniveer scheme, the BJP strategically diversified its approach, relying not solely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s star power—evidenced by his reduced number of rallies—but also on a ground-level consolidation of anti-Jat votes. The Congress’s over-reliance on the Jat community backfired, rallying other groups against it. Interestingly, the Dalit vote, which the Congress anticipated would tilt in its favour, has not completely abandoned the BJP.


At the forefront of the BJP's campaign was Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, whose relatively short tenure allowed him to distance himself from the decade-long rule of the previous administration. By introducing measures to benefit the backward classes, including a significant income limit increase for OBC employment from Rs. 6 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh, the BJP effectively shifted the narrative in its favour. Their mantra of ‘bina parchi, bina kharchi Naukri (promising jobs without bribes) resonated with voters.


The BJP’s rejuvenated team, led by key figures such as Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and state leaders, has seemingly addressed concerns that arose following its poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections. The incorporation of new candidates in place of established leaders provided a fresh face that contrasted sharply with the Congress’s decision to recycle incumbents.


In contrast, in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference, in alliance with the Congress, having crossed the majority threshold, reclaimed its historic dominance and is set to form the government. Here, the BJP’s performance in the first Assembly election held after the abrogation of Article 370, fell short despite its strenuous attempt to position itself as a proponent of development.


The electorate’s apparent rejection of hardline factions like the PDP reflects a nuanced response and win for democracy. Notably, the results have shown a significant rejection of separatist candidates, including those from Engineer Rashid-led Awami Ittehad Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, who failed to make a meaningful impact in the polls.


The BJP’s emphatic victory in Haryana redeems its Lok Sabha misstep but also signals a broader political resurgence, giving the party renewed vigour to march into future contests like the crucial Maharashtra Assembly election.

 
 
 

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