Another milestone unlocked! Meet India's first woman Air Marshal Dr Padma Bandopadhyay who was awarded Padma Shri

After achieving several milestones as an IAF woman officer, Air Marshal Dr Padma Bandopadhyay (Retd) added one more feather on her hat. She became the first woman Indian Air Force (IAF) officer decorated with the fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri earlier this week. Prior to this, Bandopadhyay was the first woman to be promoted to the level of Air Marshal in the IAF. Apart from that, she is the second woman in the Indian Armed Forces to be promoted to a three-star rank, after surgeon Vice Admiral Punita Arora.

 

Notably, Bandopadhyay has been a decorated former flight surgeon on Indian Air Force. The journey to reach this stage goes way back to the 1960s. She had joined the Armed Forces Medical College Pune in 1963 after studying pre-medical at the University of Delhi's Kirori Mal College. Bandopadhyay first got posted as an intern at the Air Force Hospital in Bangalore where she met her husband Satinath Bandopadhyay. After completing her higher studies, Bandopadhyay joined the Indian Air Force in 1968. She also became the first woman Armed Forces officer to have completed the Defence Service Staff College course in 1978.

 

 

Though she could face an issue with her eyesight and that is because she could not become a pilot, she made sure that her focus will not get affected due to such obstacles in her road to success. For their benefactions to the war work, both Bandhopadhyay and her husband, an administrative official conferred the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM). It is an award for exemplary dedication to duty. They were the first-ever husband and wife team to be acknowledged with the VSM at the same defence function by the President.

 

 

Bandopadhyay was promoted to Wing Commander, and was posted to DIPAS (Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences ), where she did outstanding research work in high altitude. She helped produce the new acclimatisation program for Indian Soldiers at high altitudes. And developed precautionary steps to High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPO) and High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACO).

 

 

The 77-year-old was the first woman to become a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India and the first Indian woman to conduct scientific research at the North Pole. With stepping into the shoes of Indian Armed Forces, she soared high due to her hard work and determination and created history in changing the dynamics of women offciers in IAF.

 

On her arrival in India, she received the Indira Priyadarshini Award for being an outstanding lady with so many accomplishments to her name. This was a first for any lady in uniform. She was bestowed the Air Force Wives Welfare Association Trophy by AFWWA. Now, she is a recipient of Param Vishisht Seva, Ati Vishisht, and Vishisht Seva medals. Padmavathy also became the first Lady Director General Medical Services of the forces.