Taiyba Afroz created history by becoming a commercial pilot. The Muslim girl hails from a modest family. Her father Motiul Haq runs a ration shop in the Madhoura locality in the Saran district of Bihar and her mother Samsun Nisha is a homemaker.
Despite such challenges, Taiyaba remained determined to achieve her dream of becoming a commercial pilot. Her journey began in 2019 when she joined the Government Aviation Training Institute in Bhubaneswar. There she logged 200 grueling flight hours, battling storms, monsoons, and self-doubt.
Taiyaba’s training was marathon-2-3 years of theory exams (scoring 70%+ in DGCA papers), simulator drills, and mastering the art of safe landings.
“Flying solo for 100 hours was terrifying but fear never griped my mind,” she recalls.
Later, in 2023, she completed 120 hours of training at Indore Flying Club. After all this, Taiyaba finally obtained her license from the DDCA. She was certified to become a commercial pilot and can fly any commercial plane.
As a Muslim woman in a crisp pilot’s uniform, Taiyaba faced catcalls: “Shouldn’t she be in a Burqa?” To this, she retorts: “The cockpit has no dress code. The aircraft doesn’t care about your surname.”
A pilot’s salary starts at ₹1.5 lakh,” but that’s not the trophy, Taiyaba aimed to achieve. Her real achievement is being a Muslim girl, coming from a backward region of Bihar, hailing from a weak financial family; she endured all these odds and has come out with flying colors. Her message is; “Look at this Muslim girl, she can fly planes.”
Taiba Afroz is not just a pilot; she’s a beacon for every Muslim girl who is told to shrink their dreams. Her success story is a matter of pride as she inspires many young Muslim girls to follow her career path. She is a role model for them.
Taiyaba’s achievement testifies that with perseverance and determination, any goal can be achieved.
Her story screams that; the sky is not the limit, it’s the beginning.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror Network / March 05th, 2025
Adhakparia Village (East Champaran District), BIHAR :
Motihari:
A village in East Champaran which was infamous for guns being pulled out on trivial matters and for fights, the village where last year a sarpanch was not only strangled by fearless criminals but also shot dead, now this same village will be known for the stories of Shafqat Amna becoming an IAS.
Shafqat Amna, daughter of retired teacher Mohammad Zafir Alam of Adhakparia village of East Champaran, has not only brought glory to her family by securing 186th rank in the UPSC Civil Services exam, but has also shown a path to lakhs of Muslim girls with the light of education.
The whole village is rejoicing at Shafqat’s success. 65-year-old Zafir is not tired of thanking people for this success.
In an exclusive conversation with BeyondHeadlines, Zafir Alam says, ‘We would like my daughter to work as an honest servant. She should strive for peace and prosperity in the society. And most importantly, she should take today’s new generation forward in the field of education.’
Let us tell you that Zafir Alam has retired as a teacher from an Urdu middle school in Agarwa village near Motihari.
24-year-old Shafqat Amna says in an exclusive interview with BeyondHeadlines that the backwardness of the village and the lack of infrastructure always bothered me. That is why since childhood I wanted to live among the people and do something for them so that I could change their thinking and circumstances. My father, sensing this desire of mine, inspired me to join the civil service.
Aamna says that my first choice is IAS and I am hopeful that I will definitely get IAS Insha Allah.
When asked what will you do first after becoming an IAS?
In response to this question, Aamna says that my first effort will be that whichever district I go to, I will first try to focus on education in the village. Since my father was a teacher, I understand the politics of teachers very well. I will inspire them to teach children honestly, away from that politics.
What if I get IPS instead of IAS?
On this question, Aamna pauses for a while and then after thinking says – I am hopeful that I will get IAS and I have not thought of anything else apart from this. But still if I get IPS instead of IAS then first of all I will pay special attention to law and order. I will try to maintain communal harmony in my district at all costs. I will try my best that there is never any fight or quarrel in my district, there is always mutual harmony.
When asked about preparing for civil services, Aamna says that, I would definitely like to tell those who want to join civil services that they should not start preparing for it suddenly, but first understand the syllabus well. If possible, try to take guidance from an IAS or IPS. Then start preparing for it thoughtfully with full courage and passion. Try to study smartly instead of studying like donkeys.
However, she also says that everyone’s way of preparing is different. The positive thing for me was that I had read NCERT books properly in school itself. So all the concepts were clear. I studied Geography very well in graduation as well. And yes, during my entire studies, I always had the habit of making short notes. These notes were very useful in my preparation. I paid full attention to its revision. Apart from that, I participated a lot in test series.
Let us tell you that Shafqat Amna passed 10th from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Bettiah, West Champaran. Then she went to Bokaro for 12th, passed 12th from DPS there. After that, circumstances became such that she had to return to the village. Here she got a BA Honors degree in Geography from a college of Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Motihari. After that, she came to Delhi in 2016 to prepare for civil services. Here she prepared by staying in the residential coaching of Jamia Millia Islamia and after failing twice, she succeeded this time in the third attempt.
Apart from her parents, Shafqat Amna’s family also has three sisters and a brother. Her younger sister is pursuing BA LLB from Jamia Millia Islamia. Her two elder sisters have completed B.Ed and are currently living with their mother in the village.
Aamna says that the situation at home was never good. My father was the only breadwinner in the house. But he never neglected our education. Whatever I am today is because of my father.
What would you like to say to the girls of the country?
On this question, Aamna says that I would like to say that it is very important for you to get educated. And never underestimate yourself. Your hard work, your efforts can change your fate. But yes, for success you will have to make your own policy and your own routing. You will have to decide for yourself what things matter in your life…
source: http://www.beyondheadlines.in / Beyond Headlines / Home> India> Real Heroes / by Afroz Alam Sahil, Beyond Headlines / April 06th, 2019
Malcolm X rightly said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
Dr Wasim and Tanweer Ahmad perhaps had the same thoughts in their minds as they came up with the idea of providing an enriching environment to those who cannot afford the luxury of education. They along with their colleagues left their comforts of life and well-established occupation to impart education to the underprivileged children of their home district i.e. Siwan.
Dr Wasim along with Tanweer Ahmad, Sharique Ahmad, and Sana Hussain, were keen to establish an institution that would serve as a ladder to the children who were underprivileged and could not afford basic education due to the paltry amount of resources.
Dr Wasim is a doctor from Aligarh and has completed his education from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He worked in a government hospital but gave up his job, to educate the children who are the leaders of tomorrow and who are the faces of our future.
Tanweer Ahmad, who hails from Siwan itself has completed his MBA from Williams college of LONDON and holds the post of the Director and he juggles between the tasks of administration as well as imparting knowledge to the children.
Sana Hussain, who holds the post of the Principal at the school, has achieved her master’s degree from South Korea. She works hard to maintain the smooth functioning of this institution’s administration and imparts education to the blooming buds.
Sharique Ahmad, who is also a pillar of this school, has achieved his double master’s degree in Education and English from Delhi University and AMU respectively. He works as a student counsellor and teachers’ trainer at the school. He aims at not only providing efficient educators but also endeavours to become a patient listener and a solution provider to these curious and creative minds.
They established a school named ‘bloombuds’ in Barharia, Bihar. Bloombuds was an idea born due to the concerns of its founders over rising illiteracy rates in certain parts of Bihar. The school came into existence in January 2016.
“This school has been established with the idea of providing an enriching environment to those who cannot afford the luxury of education”, says Dr Wasim, the chairman of the school.
Sana Hussain says, “We are constantly endeavouring to provide all essential facilities for the children. We aim at providing every facility that we couldn’t get while we were students; we are constantly working to educate the young minds. We are often told that we shouldn’t have left our jobs and compromised on our well-settled future but the contentment we derive out of imparting knowledge to these underprivileged children and providing them with resources that could help them lead a better life is unmatchable.”
These four pillars of bloombuds are in a constant endeavour at providing all essential facilities for the children. They aim at providing every facility that they couldn’t get while they were students; they are constantly working to educate the young minds. They are continuously struggling to impart knowledge to these underprivileged children, so as to provide them with resources that could help them to lead a better life.
This institution has not only provided educational aid but has also stood by its children through all thick and thins.
These mentors took complete responsibility of their students from selecting the students for the entrance exam to allowing them a stay at the hostel and preparing them from beforehand.
Dr Wasim says, “We brought these students to Delhi for their exam and stayed with them until they were back safe. To promote girls’ education, Bloombuds provided 50% discount on the admission fee for girls in the last couple of years. The bloombuds family has set an example of what overall support and aid should be like.”
“Due to the collective support, hard work and indulgence, the Bloombuds family feels very proud of the selection of its six students. These students of bloombuds have cracked the Jamia Millia Islamia School’s class 9th entrance examination. We couldn’t be happier”, he added.
When we inquired about the background of these students, we came to know that all these students belong to families where they believe that education is only for the rich and the upper class. The parents due to insufficient resources are not able to provide their children with adequate facilities, almost all the mothers are homemakers, fathers either work as drivers or in chemist shops or are shopkeepers, some even work as farmers and have little or no educational qualifications. Nevertheless, these students with their hard work and a little encouragement proved that one can achieve anything with the help of committed guidance and supervision. The parents at first were sceptical to send their children to this university, but when they saw the environment, they at once knew that this was the best for their children.
The parents due to insufficient resources are not able to provide their children with adequate facilities, almost all the mothers of these students are homemakers, and one of them is a teacher in a government school. The fathers either work as drivers or in a chemist shop or shopkeepers, some even work as farmers and have little or no educational qualification. But these students with their hard work and a little encouragement proved that one can achieve anything with the help of committed guidance and supervision. They made their parents and teachers proud after cracking the entrance exam. Four out of six students are girls, and all belong to rural areas.
On how important this result was to him, Sharique Ahmed says, “For the people belonging to a small town like Siwan, Jamia and Aligarh are a dream place to study not just for students but also for parents. Siwan is a place which is known for coaching centres and too expensive, but this school made it easy. They used to organize free coaching in summer vacation for the students as well,”
Talking about the obstacles faced in this journey, he adds, “In this blooming, there is only one hurdle and that is a hostel for girls. Parents are ready to send their children to Jamia, but their main concern is the hostel. While interviewing Zeba’s father, Mr Wahabuddin who is working in the Gulf also has only one condition and that is a hostel. So, the movement which has been started by Bloombud is becoming smooth day by day, but accommodation is one obstruction in this metro city.”
(Mehwish Matloob is pursuing MA History from Jamia Millia Islamia.)
source: http://www.beyondheadlines.in / Beyond Headlines / Home> India / by Mehwish Matloob for Beyond Headlines / August 03rd, 2019
