Tribal girl from Odisha becomes first female pilot

A feat that is sure to inspire many young girls, 27 year old Anupriya Lakra, a tribal girl from Odisha's Maoist-affected Malkangiri district, has proved that the sky is not the limit as she became the first female pilot from this backward region.

Lakra has been selected to join a private airlines as a co-pilot.

Daughter of Odisha police constable Mariniyas Lakra and homemaker mother Jimaj Yashmin Lakra, Anupriya left her engineering mid-way to follow her passion of becoming a pilot.

After completing her schooling, she came to Bhubaneswar to pursue engineering studies. However, Anupriya dropped out from engineering to pursue training in aviation sector. She got enrolled at Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI) in 2012 to realise her dream.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has congratulated Lakra for the achievement.

"I am happy to learn about the success of Anupriya Lakra. The success achieved by her through dedicated efforts and perseverance is an example for many," Patnaik tweeted.

He also wished Anupriya for more achievements as an able pilot in the coming days.

The parents of Anupriya also expressed their happiness over the rare feat achieved by their girl as they are celebrating the success.

"My daughter is just not my pride but the pride of the entire district. It is a big achievement for somebody from a backward district like Malkangiri. For this achievement, credit goes to my wife who supported Anupriya a lot. She took up as a challenge to train her as a pilot," said Mariniyas Larka.

Mother Jimaj said Anupriya is a source of inspiration for all girls.

"It was very difficult for us to provide whatever she needed during her training period since 2012. But, we feel extremely happy and proud that our daughter is a pilot now. She has brought laurels to Malkangiri district. I urge all parents to support their daughters," said Jimaj.

Indo-Asian News Service