New Delhi: Her dream was to touch the sky with glory and finally, she did it. Twenty-three-year-old Anupriya Lakra, a tribal woman from Odisha's Maoist-hit Malkangiri, has scripted history by becoming the first female pilot from the backward region.
Daughter of Mariniyas Lakra, a Havildar in Odisha police, and Yashmin Lakra, a homemaker, Anupriya completed her matriculation from a convent school in Malkangiri and higher secondary from a school in Semiliguda.
Anupriya had enrolled herself at an engineering college, but her strong will to become a pilot motivated her to appear for the entrance examinations for an aviation academy. She cleared the examination and got admission in the Pilot Training Institute, Bhubaneswar.
After successfully completing her studies, she became the first-ever female pilot from Malkangiri.
Anupriya has started working in a private airline as a co-pilot and she is likely to fly abroad shortly.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated Anupriya for her achievements and tweeted that the feat achieved by her through dedication and perseverance is an example for many. He also wished Anupriya for her future endeavours in her career.
Her proud parents, who are ecstatic about her achievement, said that it was not an easy journey for her.
Anupriya's mother told news agency ANI, "People used to say she will not be able to do it as we belong to a backward village. But she has proved them wrong. We feel very proud of her."
She added that the whole family is celebrating her success. People on social media have been showering praises on her daughter for becoming the first female commercial pilot from tribal area.
(With inputs from ANI)
