Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay, the first woman in the Indian Air Force to reach Air Marshal rank, and her groundbreaking career.
- Then President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Padma Shri on Dr Padma Bandopadhyay on November 8, 2021
- Dr Padma was the first woman Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force
- The pioneering officer was feted for her contributions in medicine
- She was also the first Indian woman to conduct scientific studies at the North Pole
- Dr Padma recollects her childhood struggle in which India’s tuberculosis epidemic played an important part
- She remembers how bad things were after the 1962 India-China war
- She remembers being part of the 1971 India-Pakistan war days after delivering her son
- She talks about her pioneering journey, being a proud fauji and flying high despite not making it as a pilot
Ep 1: How Padma Bandopadhyay became Indian Air Force’s first woman Air Marshal
On November 8, 2021, the Rashtrapati Bhavan audience erupted in applause as Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay marched forth in her blue uniform to receive the Padma Shri. The fourth-highest civilian award was conferred upon the former flight surgeon by then President Ram Nath Kovind for contributions in medicine.