Padmavathy Bandopadhyay | |
---|---|
Birth name | Padmavathy Swaminathan |
Nickname(s) | Padma |
Born | Tirupathi, Madras Presidency, British India (now Andhra Pradesh) | 4 November 1944
Allegiance | India |
Service | Indian Air Force |
Years of service | 1968–2005 |
Rank | Air Marshal |
Service number | 11528 MED (MR-2246) |
Commands | DGMS(Air) |
Awards | PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Padma Shri |
Alma mater | Armed Forces Medical College, Pune |
Spouse(s) | Wg Cdr Sati Nath Bandopadhyay (m. 1968–2015; his death) |
Children | 2 |
Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, PHS (born 4 November 1944) is a decorated former flight surgeon in the Indian Air Force. She was the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Air Marshal in the Indian Air Force. She is the second woman in the Indian Armed Forces to be promoted to a three-star rank, after Surgeon Vice Admiral Punita Arora.
Bandopadhyay was born as Padmavathy Swaminathan on 4 November 1944 at Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh into a Tamil speaking Iyer family. When Padma was four or five years old, her mother contracted tuberculosis and eventually became bedridden. As a result, Padma's thoughts have been consumed with medical difficulties since she was a small child, and she also took on the role of her mother's primary caretaker while she was still quite young. In addition, her neighbor in the Gole Market neighborhood in New Delhi was Dr. S. I. Padmavati, Professor of Medicine at Lady Hardinge Medical College. Padma has said that her experience with her mother's illness and hospitalization at Safdarjung Hospital, and having a neighbouring lady doctor with the same name as her were early motivations to become a doctor. [1]
She studied at Delhi Tamil Education Association Senior Secondary Schools in the humanities stream. After graduating from school, she made the difficult and uncommon transition from humanities to the science stream in Delhi University. She studied pre-medical at Kirori Mal College and then joined the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, in 1963.
She joined the Indian Air Force in 1968. She married Wing Commander S. N. Bandopadhyay, a fellow air force officer. [2] She was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) [3] for her conduct during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Sati Nath and Padma were the first IAF couple to receive a President's award in the same investiture parade. [4]
She 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. [5] She is also the first woman Armed Forces officer to have completed the Defence Services Staff College course in 1978. [6] She was the Director General Medical Services (Air) at the Air Headquarters. [7] In 2002, she became the first woman to be promoted to air vice marshal (two-star rank). She subsequently became the first woman air marshal of Indian Air Force. Bandopadhyay is an aviation medicine specialist and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. [8]
The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) is a leading medical training institute in Pune, India, in the state of Maharashtra. The college is managed by the Indian Armed Forces.
Air Chief Marshal Om Prakash Mehra, PVSM was a former air officer in the Indian Air Force. He served as the Chief of the Air Staff from 1973 to 1976. He received Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), the highest military award for peace-time service, in 1968. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour, in 1977. He later became Governor of Maharashtra from 1980 to 1982, and Governor of Rajasthan from 1985 to 1987. He married Satya Mehra and has four children with her Sunil, Parveen, Rahul, and Amitava and numerous grand children.
The Vishisht Seva Medal is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces.
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) is a military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "distinguished service of the most exceptional order." The medal is awarded for "distinguished service rendered by personnel of the Armed Forces." All ranks of the Armed Forces, including Territorial Army, Auxiliary and Reserve forces, Nursing officers and other members of the Nursing services and other lawfully constituted Armed Forces are eligible for the medal, which may be awarded multiple times as well as posthumously.
Surgeon Vice Admiral Punita Arora PVSM, SM, VSM is a former Flag Officer of the Indian Navy and the Indian Army. Arora was the first woman in the Indian Armed Forces to be promoted to a Three-star rank. She held the ranks of Lieutenant General in the Indian Army and Surgeon Vice Admiral in the Indian Navy.
Air Marshal Hari Chand Dewan, PVSM was an Indian Air Force officer. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1972 for his services at the head of the Eastern Air Command in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Air Marshal Cheppudira Devaiah Subbaiah is a former pilot and officer in the Indian Air Force.
In the Indian Armed Forces women are allowed to join mainly in combat service support branches and in non combatant roles. The Indian Air Force had 13.09% female officers in 2018 and 8.50% female officers in 2014; the Indian Navy had 6% female officers in 2018 and 3% female officers in 2014 and the Indian Army had 3.80% female officers in 2018 and 3% female officers in 2014. In 2020, three officers had the rank of lieutenant-general or equivalent, all in the Medical Services. In May 2021, 83 women were inducted as sepoys for the first time in the Indian Army's Corps of Military Police. On 30 March 2023, 273 women were inducted in the Indian Navy as sailos for the first time in the history of the Indian Navy, total 2,585 agniveers passed out after successful completion of training from INS Chilka. The Indian Air Force got airwomen for the first time in its history on 7 March 2024 as 153 female agniveers passed out from the Airmen Training School, Belagavi with 2,127 male agniveers.
Air Marshal Arvindra Singh Butola, PVSM, VM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Training Command, and assumed office on 14 October 2019 succeeding Air Marshal Surendra Kumar Ghotia. Air Marshal AS Butola superannuated on 30 September 2020.
Lieutenant General Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is a retired General Officer in the Indian Army. She is the third woman in the Indian Armed Forces to be promoted to a Three-star rank, after Surgeon Vice Admiral Punita Arora and Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay. She last served as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Medical) under the Chief of Defence Staff.
Vijayalakshmi Ramanan VSM was an Indian physician and career army officer. She was the first woman to be commissioned as an Indian Air Force officer, and served as a surgeon in several military hospitals in India. She was a recipient of the army's Vishisht Seva Medal in 1977 and retired as a wing commander in 1979.
Air Marshal Gurcharan Singh Bedi, AVSM, VM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the Director General of Inspection and Flight Safety. He assumed the office on 1 February 2021 succeeding Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. Previously, he served as Senior Air Staff Officer of Eastern Air Command.
Air Marshal Richard John Duckworth, AVSM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Central Air Command. He assumed the office on 1 July 2021 succeeding Air Marshal Amit Tiwari. Previously he served as Air Officer in charge Personnel at Air Headquarters Vayu Bhawan in New Delhi and Senior Air Staff Officer for the Western Air Command and Central Air Command.
Vikram Singh, AVSM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), South Western Air Command. He took over the office on 1 October 2021, following the appointment of Air Marshal Sandeep Singh as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff.
Surgeon Vice Admiral Sheila Samanta Mathai, NM, VSM is a former flag officer in the Indian Navy. She last served as the Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services. She is the fourth woman in the Indian Armed Forces to be promoted to a three-star rank, after Surgeon Vice Admiral Punita Arora, Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay and Lieutenant General Madhuri Kanitkar. She is currently the head of the department of neonatology in Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.
Lieutenant General Rajshree Ramasethu is a former general officer of the Indian Army. She is the fifth woman in the Indian Armed Forces and third in the Indian Army to be promoted to a Three-star rank. She last served as the Director and Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune.
Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, AVSM, VSM is a serving flag officer in the Indian Navy. She is currently serving as the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services, the senior-most appointment in the Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS). She is the first woman to serve as DGAFMS and the highest-ranking woman officer in the history of the Indian Armed Forces.
Air Marshal Vibhas Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served the 37th Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Maintenance Command. He assumed the office on 14 June 2022 succeeding Air Marshal Shashiker Choudhary.
Air Marshal K Anantharaman, PVSM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force. He served as the Air Officer in Charge of Administration. He assumed the office on 1 February 2022 succeeding Air Marshal Vijay Pal Singh Rana. He superannuated on 31 May 2023.