'My ancestors fought for Rani Lakshmi Bai': Colonel Sofiya Qureshi shares family legacy

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who played a key role during media briefingson Operation Sindoor are set to feature in a special Independence Day episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), with host and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.

In an excerpt of the next episode posted on social media, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi talked about her family background. "I come from a family where all were in the Army. The ancestors of my great-grandmother were with Rani Lakshmi Bai," she said. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi (Indian Army), Wing Commander Vyomika Singh (Indian Air Force) and Commander Prerna Deosthalee (Indian Navy) will feature on this week's episode of KBC.

"I have not heard lullabies. I have heard stories of bravery, and I have heard speeches that narrate the definition of courage," she added. The training imparted in the Army is uniform for all, Qureshi asserted, further saying that the Indian Army is a gender-neutral organisation. Soldiers, officers, and all get an equal training, Colonel Qureshi pointed out.

Colonel Qureshi, Wing Commander Singh, and Commander Deosthalee were also seen discussing women empowerment in the episode. The officers would also be seen narrating pivotal moments of Operation Sindoor.

Who is Colonel Sophia Qureshi?

Colonel Qureshi is a pioneer in the Indian Army. In March 2016, she became the first woman officer to command an Indian Army contingent for a multinational military exercise—Exercise Force 18—organised in Pune, India. It was the biggest foreign military exercise on Indian soil ever, with 18 countries including ASEAN members, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand. As a Lieutenant Colonel then, Qureshi was the sole woman officer to lead a contingent among all the troops participating.

Who is Wing Commander Vyomika Singh?

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh is an Indian Air Force officer. Singh is the first from her family to serve in the armed forces. Singh realised her dream through the National Cadet Corps (NCC)—India's youth military training program. She was commissioned as a helicopter pilot and got a permanent commission in the flying branch in December 2019.

With more than 2,500 flying hours, Wing Commander Singh has flown helicopters such as the Chetak and Cheetah in some of India's toughest terrain, including Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. She has been a key player in several search and rescue operations, including in Arunachal Pradesh in November 2020, where her crew performed life-saving operations in high-altitude, remote regions under extreme weather conditions.