Madhya Pradesh: Against all odds, tea seller’s daughter becomes IAF officer

“Her commissioning was a proud moment for our family, but we could not make it (to the Air Force Academy at Dundigal) to see her due to the coronavirus-induced restrictions,” her father Suresh Gangwal, who works as a tea seller at a bus stand in Neemuch district, told PTI.

He further said his daughter got motivated and dreamt of joining the IAF when she saw defence personnel helping people during the Kedarnath floods back in 2013.

“She was a bright student and also a basketball player. She first wished to join the Air Force after seeing the IAF personnel helping people during the Kedarnath tragedy. And, now her dream has come true,” Suresh said.

To pursue her dream, Gangwal collected information from bookstalls to understand how to prepare for the examination. “She was determined and got success in her sixth attempt,” he said.

“One can understand my financial condition. At times, I faced problems with depositing her school or college fee. I had to borrow money from others on many occasions to deposit the fee. Sometimes I had to pretend to be out of town to delay fees deposition,” Suresh, who has studied till Class 10, said.

Gangwal’s achievement was also acknowledged by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who congratulated her for making the state proud.

रौशन थी धरती तुझसे, अब रौशन होगा आसमां भी।
दुआओं पर परवाज करो, रौशन कर दो जहां भी।

अंधेरों को चीरकर फिर एक बेटी ‘आंचल’ ने रच दिया है इतिहास
ऐसे ही बढ़ती रहें बेटियां, यही तो हैं हम सबका गौरव और अभिमान भी।

बेटी आंचल को स्नेह और आशीर्वाद! माता-पिता को बहुत-बहुत बधाई! pic.twitter.com/juZYfdCVZZ

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) June 22, 2020

“Daughter Anchal, who made Madhya Pradesh proud, will now fly in the heights of the infinite sky to protect the pride and honour of the country,” Chouhan tweeted while sharing a picture of Gangwal in her uniform.

(With inputs from PTI)