Have you met India's first women fighter pilots?

Now, that's what we call soaring high. Welcome history-makers Bhawna Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi, and Mohana Singh--India's first women fighter pilots.
Pictures courtesy: Prasar Bharti;Bhawna Kanth, Avani Chaturvedi, and Mohana Singh were commissioned on June 18 into the Indian Air Force.

It's not every day that you find women having a Tom Cruise Top Gun moment. Not to trivialize it, but women globally, hardly find an entry into the elite fighter pilot squadrons. Considered physically unfit for flying these mean machines, they had been for relegated to the background for years in our country. Make it over eight decades to be precise.

Things have finally come in women's stride, thanks to the determination of three girls, who were commissioned into the Indian Air Force on June 18, 2016 as fighter pilots. Sky is the playground for these 20 something flight cadets.

Bhawna Kanth
Hailing from Darbhanga, Bihar, Bhawna always harboured the dream of flying like a bird since childhood. This is what eventually led her to join the Indian Air Force.

Avani Chaturvedi
Avani comes from Satna, in Madhya Pradesh and has been inspired by the lives of army officers to take up the life of a fighter pilot.

Mohana Singh
Coming from a defence family, the girl from Rajasthan had it in her blood to join the IAF. Mohana's father is with the IAF and her grandfather is a flight gunner in the Aviation Research Centre. It was hence, a natural progression for her to join the services.

It is the first time that women have been inducted for combat roles. The combat roles in Army and Navy are still not open to women. In the meanwhile, we can only say that Bhawna, Avani and Mohana have paved way for the lot of women to achieve anything if they put their mind to it.