Salute! Swati Rathore Becomes First Woman To Lead R-Day Parade   

Flight Lieutenant Swati Rathore of the Indian Air Force (IAF) has scripted the history by becoming the first woman to lead the flypast at the Republic Day parade on January 26 2021 at Rajpath in Delhi. The 28-year-old officer was a part of rescue operations conducted by the IAF during the 2018 Kerala floods.

IANS quoted her proud father, Dr. Bhavani Singh Rathore as saying, “My daughter has let me hold my head high. I am overwhelmed as the dream which she saw has turned into reality.”

On this special day, social media users took to their respective handles to congratulate Swati Rathore for creating history

One user wrote: “Congratulations to Indian Air Force Flight Lt. #swatirathore from #rajasthan who will script a new chapter in the history of woman empowerment by becoming the first woman to lead the Flypast on the #RepublicDay parade at Delhi’s Rajpath. Very proud moment to share!”

Another user wrote: “Having dreamt of becoming a pilot since a young age, Swati was selected in the IAF in her first attempt in 2014.”

“We are proud of #swatirathore.This achievement of #swatirathore will surely become a milestone towards empowering woman of the country” wrote another Twitter user.

Here are some lesser-known facts about the Lieutenant Swati Rathore.

Swati was born in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan and schooled in Ajmer. post-schooling, she joined the NCC Air Wing.

At the NCC, she won a gold medal in shooting and appeared for the Airforce Common Admission Test in 2013. She was selected in the IAF in her first attempt in 2014. Among 200 female students from all over the country, only 98 were selected for screening. Only five students were left after the screening, in which only she was selected for the flying branch.

Her father is a Deputy Director in the state’s Agriculture Department and her brother is posted in the Merchant Navy.

We Congratulate Swati for making her family and country proud!