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Arya in The Cockpit: Author: Nandita Jayaraj Illustrator: Upamanyu Bhattacharyya

Arya has always dreamed of flying from a young age, inspired by various pioneering female pilots. As a four-year-old, she admired Rosamma the trapeze artist and wanted to perform like her. When she was eight, she looked up to Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-American woman in space. At twelve, Amelia Earhart captured her imagination as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. After learning about India's first licensed women pilots Angulia Bai and Kumudammal, Arya set her sights on becoming a fighter pilot like Mohana, Bhawana and Avani. Now, after years of training, Arya has

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Chandani Senaratne
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2K views2 pages

Arya in The Cockpit: Author: Nandita Jayaraj Illustrator: Upamanyu Bhattacharyya

Arya has always dreamed of flying from a young age, inspired by various pioneering female pilots. As a four-year-old, she admired Rosamma the trapeze artist and wanted to perform like her. When she was eight, she looked up to Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-American woman in space. At twelve, Amelia Earhart captured her imagination as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. After learning about India's first licensed women pilots Angulia Bai and Kumudammal, Arya set her sights on becoming a fighter pilot like Mohana, Bhawana and Avani. Now, after years of training, Arya has

Uploaded by

Chandani Senaratne
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Arya in the Cockpit

Author: Nandita Jayaraj


Illustrator: Upamanyu Bhattacharyya

Arya always wanted to fly.


When she was four years old, she wanted to be Rosamma. Arya saw her at the circus.
Rosamma was a trapeze artist.
Arya wanted to fly in the air from swing to swing. Her clothes would glitter like
Rosamma’s. Hundreds of people would clap for her.
She would eat cotton candy every day. Her best friend would be a clown.

“Trapeze artists climb a tall ladder, stand on a narrow board, hold the fly bar, and swing!
Another trapeze artist is usually waiting to catch them on the other side.”

When Arya was eight years old, she wanted to be Kalpana Chawla. She made herself an
orange space suit. She wore it day and night. "Arya, aren’t you feeling hot in that suit?"
"Astronauts have to get used to the suit, Amma. Space is not as safe as Earth is. My suit will
protect me."

“Kalpana Chawla grew up in Haryana, India. As an astronaut, Kalpana flew around the earth
252 times! Kalpana died doing her job when the spacecraft she was inside broke apart while
returning to Earth.”

When Arya was twelve years old, she wanted to be Amelia Earhart. She built a model
plane for her school project. It couldn’t fly, but she still got the second prize. Arya even got a
haircut like Amelia!
“Amelia was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone. Amelia’s dream was to fly
around the world along the equator. She took off on her dream flight but went missing
somewhere above the Pacific.”

Soon, Arya heard of Angulia Bai, Kumudammal and Sarla Thakral, the first Indian women
to fly a plane.
Angulia Bai was just sixteen years old!
"I can’t wait till I’m a teenager!" "So, you can drive?" "No." "So, you can vote?" "No."
"Then what?" "So, I can fly."

“On 30 May, 1935, nineteen-year-old Kummudammal and sixteen-year-old Angulia Bai


became the first women to obtain the ‘A’ pilot license in India. They trained at the Madras
Flying Club.”

When Arya was eighteen years old, she wanted to become a fighter pilot. "Who are
they, Chechi?" asked her little brother Raju, seeing a poster on her wall. "They are Bhawana,
Avani and Mohana, the first women to fly fighter planes in India."
"Are they your friends?" Arya laughed. "Maybe someday, Raju…"

“Mohana, Bhawana and Avani are fighter pilots. Before them, only men were allowed to
become fighter pilots in India. They protect the country’s borders from high up in the air.
During disasters like floods and earthquakes, they take part in rescue missions.”

Arya saved up money to attend flying school. She spent years studying. She sat along
with pilots to learn from them. She worked hard and ate a lot of carrots! Amma always said
carrots are great for the eyes.
Finally, she is ready to sit at the cockpit herself. Today is a special day for Arya. That’s
her in the cockpit. She’s very excited because there are two special passengers on her plane
this morning.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain, Arya. Welcome aboard!" "Chechi!" "That’s
my daughter!"

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