Ezhimala(Kannur): It was a dream come true for Shubhangi Swaroop, a woman cadet from UP at the panoramic INA campus here on Wednesday. She was in high spirits amid other women cadets and relatives after the Passing Out Parade and other initiation ceremonies. Interacting with the media, Ms Swaroop said that to be first woman pilot in the Navy means there is great responsibility on her shoulders. “It was an amazing feeling,” she said. “I will live up to the expectations of all and inspire more women officers to come to the Navy as pilots,” she added. The moment was rewarding for her father Gyan Swaroop, a serving Naval officer who inspired his daughter by supporting her to tide over all the crisis while chasing her dream — to be a Navy woman.
The jubilant father told DC that his daughter was pursuing the dream with vigour since childhood. “After competing her BTech in biotechnology, she was eager to join the defence forces,” he said, adding that to be fit into the forces she was also into adventure sports right from childhood. “A national gold medallist in taekwondo and a passionate diver, she always dreamt of becoming part of the defence forces,” he added. Ms Swaroop has a younger brother Shubham Swaroop who is pursuing BSc Economics at University of London international programme and her mother Ms Kalpana Swaroop is a secondary school teacher at Navy Children School, Visakhapatnam.
