Tanvi Raina becomes youngest woman commercial pilot from J-K

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 8

Jammu and Kashmir may be in news for all the wrong reasons in the recent months, but still achievements by some give a glimmer of hope that the state is not all about violence and dejection.

Tanvi Raina (18), a Kashmiri Pandit, is the first and youngest woman from J&K to become a commercial pilot after completion of flying training from the Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Karnal. She is now aiming to join Air India to fly world’s largest aircraft, Airbus, for which she will train in Madrid.

Her family migrated from Kashmir in 1990when insurgency erupted. Born in 1997, Tanvi now lives in Delhi. She has been flooded with congratulatory messages on social networking sites.

“I feel quite happy when people say I am the youngest girl from J&K to become a commercial pilot. Though we don’t live in the Valley and visit there occasionally, I travel to Kashmir and Jammu, where my mother belongs,” said Tanvi. Revealing her success mantra, she said, “Youngsters, especially girls, should pursue dreams and remain positive in their approach to reach their goal.”

Tanvi, daughter of Capt Kapil Raina, senior Commander/Check Pilot on the Airbus fleet of Air India, originally from Karan Nagar area of Srinagar, and Jyoti Koul, who hails from Julaka Mohalla in old Jammu city, feels that boys and girls in J&K should channelise their energy in a positive way.

Crediting her achievement to her parents, Tanvi said, “My father is my inspiration, but my mother put in a lot of hard work and motivated me during the tough training.”

She has done her schooling from Convent Jesus and Marry, New Delhi.