FLYING ANGEL ZOYA AGARWAL

AGAINST ALL ODDS, CAPTAIN ZOYA AGARWAL ACHIEVED HER DREAM OF FLYING, BREAKING RECORDS AND GAINING SUCCESS, FAME AND WEALTH. BUT SHE’S NOT DONE YET. CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN A B-SCHOOL IN THE US, SHE TELLS HELLO! HER INTENT TO PAY IT FORWARD, AIMING TO CULTIVATE A SEA OF YOUNG FEMALE ACHIEVERS, EMPOWERED TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS

It’s 12.30am in the city that never sleeps, and in the same spirit, Captain Zoya Agarwal is raring to go. The Air India pilot, who’s pursuing an MBA from Columbia Business School, is ready to get into another meeting. She also has assignments to work on and an exam to cram for. “It’s a Saturday night, and my friends are all out partying. I can’t go, I have a lot to do. That’s the price for your ambitions,” says the student, who is at college on the prestigious Feldberg fellowship. Pausing, she adds, “But I don’t see it as a price.”

It’s this optimistic outlook that has propelled the remarkable pilot to where she is today. Her incredible journey of overcoming obstacles to pursue her dream of flying, including becoming the youngest pilot to fly a Boeing 777, leading an allwoman team to achieve a record-breaking distance over the North Pole, and her involvement in COVID relief flights, all showcase her indomitable spirit and courage. Her achievements rightfully earn her a place in the San Francisco Aviation Museum.

And still, she yearns to achieve more. “I aspire to foster a sea of Captain Zoyas, where women fearlessly pursue their dreams,” says the proud figure popularly known as ‘Bharat ki Beti’. Her foundation, Udaan Pari, is committed to empowering girls from underprivileged backgrounds to pursue their aviation dreams, akin to her own journey. In January, Nadrat, a girl from Mumbai’s Dharavi slum, was announced as the first Udaan Pari, marking a significant milestone. Zoya aims to replicate this model in the US, focusing on minority communities.