Banasthali Vidyapith, nurturing many firsts dedicated to national service

Business Standard

18 hours ago

HT Syndication
New Delhi [India], July 8: Banasthali has given many firsts and they're now leaders in dozens of areas. We also have 14 students in judiciary, several in police services and thousands working in multi-national companies at higher posts.
The students of Banasthali Vidyapith have maintained their dominance in various military services of the country and have once again proved that the students here are full of courage, leadership, and the spirit of unwavering service towards the nation. It is worth mentioning that Sqd Ldr Avani Chaturvedi, who was a student here, became the first female pilot to fly a fighter jet and it was she who opened the way for women pilots to fly fighter jets in the country, earlier women used to fly fighter jets only in a few selected countries like America, Brazil. Avni, who was an IT graduation student from Banasthali University, took training as a commercial pilot from here. She was also the first female fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force to participate in aerial combat exercises abroad in 2023, not only this, Avani Chaturvedi became the first Indian woman to fly a MiG 21 Bison alone. Following in Avni's footsteps, Aastha Poonia, a B.Tech student at the university, has achieved the distinction of becoming the first fighter pilot in the Navy.
University Director Dr. Anshuman Shastri says that along with Avani, a large number of female students have been selected so far, making their mark in the Navy, Army, and Air Force. He said that Aastha Poonia, a B.Tech student of Banasthali Vidyapeeth, got the honor of being selected as Second Lieutenant in the Indian Navy, she was doing B. Tech in Computer Science at the university.
With this, Poonia has now become the first woman in the country who will work as a fighter pilot in the Navy after receiving the prestigious 'Wings of Gold'. Aastha's father, Arun Poonia, who hails from Hisawada, a small village in Baghpat district of UP, is a maths teacher. Her father told her that Aastha had an enthusiasm for airplanes since childhood, whenever she heard the sound of an aircraft flying, she would run out of the house and keep looking outside. Aastha said that seeing many students getting selected in the military services of the country in the legacy of the university has always been a source of inspiration, this success was achieved under the guidance of the nurturing and empowering environment at Banasthali , faculty, and training experts. She said that the feeling of nation first always in Banasthali inspired her to join the military services. Current, director Anshuman Shastri, who taught Poonia during her B.Tech, while sharing his experience says that Poonia's IQ level in the class stood out. At that time, I felt that this girl would do something big in the future, today she has made my dreams and wishes for my students come true by achieving the pride of being the first fighter pilot in the country's navy. The entire Banasthali family takes immense pride in her success. On Poonia's selection, her parents and the university administration congratulated her and wished her a bright future.