NEW DELHI: The story of Flight Cadet Minakshi Kumari, one of the five National Defence Academy (NDA) entrants of the first women batch that passed out as IAF officers from the Dundigal-based Air Force Academy on Saturday, began in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri. Born in a family with a defence background, she completed her schooling at Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, never knowing that destiny was about to make her a pioneer. The ex-NDA cadet’s father, Subedar Major Ravinder Kumar, is a JCO in the Indian Army, and her brother an Army Captain. In mid-2021, the Supreme Court’s historic verdict shattered a glass ceiling with NDA opening its gates to women. Minakshi seized the moment and cleared the examination, conquered SSB, and after nine months of waiting, received the call letter. On 6th Aug 2022, she stepped into NDA, making history.What followed were three years of transformation at NDA. Amid the sweat and punishment runs, Minakshi discovered the secret of NDA — the will to find joy in exhaustion, laughter during endurance runs, and sisterhood in shared struggle. On May 30, 2025, dressed in gleaming white patrols, she crossed the hallowed ‘Antim Pag’ at Khetarpal Parade Ground, earning the prestigious title —ex-NDA.At the Air Force Academy, her existence was measured in sorties and grueling pursuit of perfection. Amid the turbulence of training, her instructor was the only fixed point of reference – a steady compass guiding her towards the horizon.Flight Cadet Minakshi has not just achieved the feat of becoming an aviator. She is a testament to the fact that when doors are finally opened to them, women don’t just walk through, they fly. On Saturday, a proud father and her brother in the Army uniform, accompanied by her mother, were beaming with happiness watching Minaksi donning the air force uniform turning into an IAF officer.
