In the militancy-plagued Jammu and Kashmir, Captain Tanvi Raina exemplifies hope.
From being a professional Khatak dancer to becoming the youngest Kashmiri woman to earn the prestigious commercial pilot licence (CPL), Captain Tanvi Raina has come a long way.
Coming from a migrant Kashmiri Pandit family, Tanvi achieved a rare honour last year when she earned the CPL at the age of 18. But her journey does not stop here. She dreams to fly the airbus, the reason why she got herself enrolled for an advance training course, instead of joining any airliner as a pilot.
"Until my training was over, I had no idea that I have become the youngest Kashmiri woman to earn CPL," Tanvi told dna.
What drove Tanvi to achieve this feat was a passion to break the traditional mindset and do something different. "There is a single-track thinking among many parents that their wards should become either doctor or engineer, especially when it comes to girls. I wanted to shake this mindset," she said.
This realisation dawned early on Captain Tanvi and that is why she took to Khatak training at a very tender age. "I have been dancing since I was five... I loved dancing and music. Now I am a graduate in Khatak. I have done a few concerts too," she said.
Like thousands of Pandit families, Captain Tanvi's family also migrated from the Kashmir valley at the onset of militancy in 1990. Her great grandfather owned the oldest transport company of the valley. After migration the family settled in New Delhi, but did not lose touch with their roots.
"My father is extremely attached with Srinagar. My mother is from Jammu. We are close to our roots. We eagerly wait for the holidays to be there... Even when news about me earning the CPL spread, the friends of my grandfather called to congratulate me. It was a proud moment," she said.
