The Iron Lady; Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

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There is no limit to where inspiration may come from since time is such an expansive concept that it keeps bringing in opportunities to fulfill them. Yet, the secret ingredient to this lies within, and Padmavathy Bandopadhya clearly exhibited it in her lifetime of service. Now that she is retired, her appearance may appear ordinary, but her achievements stand out. 

There are many firsts she achieved in her career, including being the first woman to be elected to the Aerospace Medical Society of India, being served as an Air Marshall in the Indian Forces, or writing a report on an Indo-Russian physiology experiment at the North Pole. She also became the first woman Air Commodore in the Indian Air Force at the turn of the millennium. The list goes on and on, but what remains true is that her lifetime of dedication made all of this possible.

Born into a middle-class family in Tirupathi, she spent most of her childhood doing hospital visits and taking care of her ill mother who was bedridden due to tuberculosis. Her memories of this period encouraged her to become a doctor, improve medical facilities in the country, and work on research and development to cure people of their illnesses. Further, after moving to Delhi, an Indian cardiologist SI Padmavati, with the same name living in the same colony became the young girl's role model to believe in her dreams, even if they didn't seem feasible, given the conservative environment she grew up in.

After Padmavathy grew up with these dreams, she enrolled at the Kirorimal College of Delhi University to complete her education. While she was in college, she excelled in academics and was swept away by the idea of serving in the military because the country was going through one of its most patriotic periods with the Sino-Indian War. As it was not commonplace for women to join the military, pursuing a career in military nursing seemed to be her only option to fulfill her desire to become an officer.

After graduating, Padmavathy decided to enroll in Armed Forces Medical College in Pune. However, she was not able to enroll for admission since her parents were reluctant to send them to another city for higher education. But Padmavati was not someone who settled at it easily. She convinced her parents in addition to taking another examination and landing in the same institution the following year. In the next five years, in spite of the fact that she had no prior training and no family ties to the defence, Padmavathy managed to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor and accomplishing her training as a medical officer of the armed forces.

> **“When I was asked which force (Army, Navy or Air force) I want to join, I thought I would fly a plane if I join the Air Force, so I said I want to do that. Later, I learnt that not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot,” chuckles as she recalls her young days in an interview.**
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After picking the Air Force, she was hired as an intern at the Air Force Hospital in Bangalore As destiny would have it, Padmavathy was assigned to the Halwara air base Punjab in 1971 during the war, leading the medical team and serving the soldiers. Her first visit to an army base was accompanied by Ft Lieutenant Satinath Bandhopadhya, whom she later married in later years. Nonetheless, their contributions at the base were phenomenal and conferred the Vashisht Seva Medal for their exemplary service from the President.

> **Although her journey did not end here, she continued to explore new opportunities in the years to come. Padmavathy then specialized in aviation medicine, completed additional training in the defence arena, completed 23 research projects and published some 27 articles while remaining at the top of her game.**
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In times of war, she made a significant contribution to the nation by driving changes in medical policies for military personnel. As a consequence, Padmavathy became the first female officer in the Indian Air Force to hold the rank of Air Vice-Marshal. Moreover, she handled her responsibilities with panache, which paved the way for many such women to rise above the board and achieve success. One more amazing fact- She is also the first Indian woman to be the President of India's honorary surgeon.

Her role as an educated and medical professional continues to benefit children in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, leading the Indian Government to bestow upon her India's highest civilian honour - Padma Shri. It is hard to comprehend what it means to dream like her until one knows that another young girl will find inspiration from Padvamathy Bandhodaya when she read this story.

The little girl was always filled with dreams of diving into the limitless skies one day. She not only realised them as she grew but also stood against all odds and made sure it was the best one to date. Here is the story of the real iron lady of India, the first woman in the Indian Air Force to attain the rank of Air Marshal for the first time ever.