Kota: Rishina Sharma of Alipur village in Baran district has become the district’s first woman to be commissioned as a flying officer in the technical branch of the Indian Air Force, graduating at the passing-out parade on Saturday, coinciding with International Women’s Day celebrations.“Finally, I passed out as a flying officer and was commissioned in the technical branch of the Indian Air Force on March 7,” Sharma said in a video message.Raised in a joint family, Sharma said her ambition to serve in uniform began after watching the Republic Day parade as a child. “Joining the Indian Army was my passion since childhood, but there was no provision for the admission of girls in NDA during those days, so I joined the National Cadets Corps (NCC) in college to pursue the dream,” she said.She said she began preparing for the CDS and AFCAT exams after friends suggested it during the second year of her graduation. “When I was eligible for the exam after four years, I cleared the SSB written exam in the first attempt and subsequently the five-day-long exhausting interview also,” she said, adding, “My journey began in 2022, and I faced several failures during the period.”Sharma completed her early schooling at St Paul’s School in Baran and earned a BTech in Information Science and Engineering from Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, from 2018 to 2022. She later worked for two years as a cyber security officer in a multinational company.As an NCC cadet in college, she earned the C certificate. She was selected through the services selection board exam for the post of flying officer, then underwent six months of initial training at the Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, followed by nine months of technical training at the Air Force Technical College, Jalahalli. She is now posted in New Delhi as a flying officer.Her father, Harish Sharma, is an assistant engineer with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited, and her mother, Neha Sharma, is a senior teacher at a government Senior Secondary School.Celebrations broke out in Alipur village and across Baran district after the commissioning. “The entire family is filled with exuberance and enthusiasm over Rishina’s achievement, and celebrations are going on,” her uncle Dharmendra Sharma said.
