Resident of Sector Alpha 1, Greater Noida, Padmavathy Bandopadhyay has had an illustrious career of firsts. In 2004, she became the first woman Air Marshal in the Indian Air Force, taking over as Director General Medical Services (Air) at the Air Headquarters in New Delhi. Before this, she was lauded as the first woman Air Vice-Marshal (2002) and the first woman Air Commodore (2000) in the IAF. Besides, she is the first woman Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India and the first Indian woman to have conducted scientific research at the Arctic. In fact, she is the first woman officer to have become an aviation medicine specialist.
Now, at 72, she leads a quiet, relaxed life with her family in Greater Noida. Her day begins at 5 am with meditation, brisk walk and yoga. She attends to household tasks, reads and dotes on her grandsons. Time flies, she says. But how does she look back on her career?
Here are excerpts from an exclusive interview with City Spidey.
Tell us about your childhood. Did you always want to be part of the IAF?
I was the second child of a religious orthodox Brahmin family in the rich temple town of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. We were all brought up and schooled in a strict code of conduct and culture. Men in my family were far more educated than the women. My cousins were married off right after they completed middle school. One can only imagine how difficult studying medicine would have been for me. However, I was lucky to have my father support me at every step, even when I wanted to get into the armed forces. However, you will be surprised when I tell you I knew nothing about the IAF till the day I joined. But yes, right from when I was a child, I was fascinated by dogfights and other military air manoeuvres. I found them very exciting.
Did you become an aviation medicine specialist by choice?
I always wanted to be a doctor. For most of my childhood, my mother was ill and bedridden. It was only when I was in Class 8 that she was brought home from hospital. In fact, I wanted to be a nurse, rather than a doctor. But in the backdrop of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, I also wanted to join the armed forces and serve my country. However, I was clueless about how to. It was around then that the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) was founded in Pune. It was a godsend.
Did your family support you in this decision?
My mother did not know I had joined AFMC. She did not let my older brother join the Army. The first time she saw me in uniform, she almost fainted. My father was my sole support.
Your husband is also part of the armed forces. How did you strike a balance between duty and home?
I met my husband, Flt Lt Satinath Bandopadhyay, when I was interning at the Air Force Hospital in Bangalore. We fell in love and got married. I was an MBBS and he was a BSc. Whenever we could, we would take turns furthering our studies and taking care of home. During the war with Pakistan in 1971, we were both posted at the Halwara air base in Punjab. I was fresh out of the IAF Command Hospital and he was an administrative officer. It was a challenging time, but we did well. We were the first couple to receive the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM), an award for exemplary devotion to duty, at the same defence ceremony.
Do you have any memories of the place that are particularly close to your heart?
I had just started my career, but I remember the situation was so bad that in the absence of proper medical support, I had to improvise to turn normal baby cots to makeshift incubators. Some of the newborns were underweight and particularly fragile. I had to give them round-the-clock care and supervision. I am proud to say that all of them are alive and healthy today. There was another incident in which a few men had consumed concentrated nitric acid thinking it was alcohol. Thankfully, I could save their lives too.
How would you describe life after retirement? Are you still connected to the medical profession?
Retirement is the chance to enjoy a different kind of life, and yes, I am enjoying it. The incessant phone calls, the number of cars lined up outside your house and the number of people at your beck and call are less, but those who love you do keep in touch. After my retirement, I did not take up any high-flying assignment but became a professor at a medical college. I superannuated when I touched 70. I still teach, but mainly those children who can’t afford tuition fees.
Are you and your husband part of the Residential Welfare Association of your area?
We stay in Sector Alpha 1 of Greater Noida, one of the cleanest and most beautifully laid out areas in the city. It is open, green and far from Delhi’s madding crowd. My husband and I are both active RWA members. Our sector has a guard room and CCTV cameras at all the gates. All security personnel have walkie talkies. As both a resident and a member of the RWA, I tell people to keep the area clean and follow lane driving. Everybody in the sector is quite fed up with Dadi (laughs). But we are a proactive RWA. We hold regular meetings to maintain the sector and suggest improvements.
You were part of the nation’s security fabric for a long time. What do you think needs to be done to improve women’s safety in Noida and Greater Noida?
The problem is the mindset. India is still a patriarchal society, but both men and women have to change their mindset. Women should be educated and able to contribute to the family income. Being financially independent is a huge thing. They should also be taught self-protection. Many NGOs in our area are working towards making the lives of women safer.
You are a symbol of strength to many women. What would you like to tell them on Women’s Day?
Dream big. Do not sit idle and work hard to achieve your dreams. India is a very big country and has numerous opportunities if you look hard enough. But in your progress, always try to do others good. An individual alone cannot progress; you need to work as a team to achieve lasting success. As the Sanskrit phrase says: "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". The world is one family. Always remember that.
