From Varanasi Streets to Combat Cockpits
Shivangi Singh didn’t grow up around airfields or fighter planes. She grew up in Varanasi, in the chaos of narrow lanes and temple bells; far from the roar of military jets. But when she was just nine, a visit to Delhi’s Air Force Museum changed everything. One look at the fighter jets, and she knew: this was her future.
She went back home with a fire in her eyes. While most kids her age were dreaming of holidays, she was dreaming of cockpits. And thankfully, her mother didn’t laugh it off. Her mother was her biggest inspiration. Her mother motivated her to aim higher and never give up on her dream of becoming a fighter pilot.
Not Just Book Smart
She was bright in school and stayed focused. College happened at Banaras Hindu University. But while many were figuring out career options, Shivangi was already thinking of defence uniforms, not desk jobs.
Soon, she cracked the entry into the Indian Air Force Academy in Hyderabad. There was no turning back now. In 2017, she was commissioned as a fighter pilot, part of just the second batch of Indian women allowed into combat roles. And her first aircraft? The MiG-21 Bison – a beast of a machine, tricky to master and demanding every ounce of discipline.
But she handled it like she was born to fly.
Rafale: The Game Changer
Then came 2020. The year she made history.
Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh became the first and only woman in India to fly the Rafale – the Air Force’s latest and most powerful fighter jet. No small feat. These machines are sleek, fast, and armed to the teeth. They require elite training, intense focus, and nerves of steel.
She was posted to the ‘Golden Arrows’ – No. 17 Squadron in Ambala. The same team that would be India’s first to operate Rafales. Suddenly, she wasn’t just making history. She was rewriting it.
The Girl on the Republic Day Float
By 2022, the country had taken notice. At the Republic Day parade, as the Air Force float rolled down Kartavya Path, there she was, flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, in uniform, symbolising change. A woman fighter pilot. A Rafale flier. A face of a new India.
That moment wasn’t just a photo op. It was a signal. To every young girl in small-town India who’s been told, “This isn’t for you.” Shivangi proved otherwise.
No Special Treatment, No Excuses
Her journey wasn’t smooth. Far from it. Training was brutal. Expectations were sky-high. And being a woman in a field dominated by men meant she had to constantly prove she deserved that cockpit.
There were long hours. Relentless drills. Days when nothing went right. But she showed up. Every time. Quietly, steadily, confidently.
She didn’t ask for special treatment. She asked for a fair shot. And once she got it, she made it count.
What’s Next? The Sky Isn’t the Limit
Most people would be content flying a Rafale. Not Shivangi. She’s got her sights on space. That’s right, her next big goal is to become an astronaut. From jets to rockets, she’s ready to break the sound barrier and maybe Earth’s gravity too.
In a country where girls are often told what not to do, Shivangi Singh is doing it all and doing it better than most. She’s not just a fighter pilot. She’s a message, that dreams don’t have a gender. That ambition doesn’t ask for permission.
And that the next time someone says, “Ladkiyan fighter jet kaise udaengi?” there’s one simple answer – Ask Shivangi.
