Meet Taniya Sanyal, The First Woman Firefighter To Be Appointed By The AAI. We Need More Women Like Her!
Just the other day, my friend and I were having an intense conversation about the present day scenario of women around the world. She said, “These are some of the best times we’re living in”. And my first instinct urged me to jump right in and talk about all the horrible situations women often find themselves in. But on second thought, I realised that even though that is something that needs a grave improvement, not all has been lost to dust. Especially as more and more women are stepping up to take positions of power where there were once only men. And we say this after witnessing how in a first of its kind achievement, a woman has been appointed as a firefighter in India.
Coming as some desperately needed news of great honour and respect, Taniya Sanyal hailing from Kolkata has been appointed as the first woman firefighter of India by the Airport Authority of India (AAI). A position in the system, for the longest time, was only reserved for women, but no woman was given a fair chance of fighting for it. It was only recently made open for the female aspirants, in 2018. And post the relaxation of this misogynistic rule, Taniya Sanyal became the first woman to get through the strenuous and ever demanding tests, to qualify as a firefighter.
Going through a rigorous training programme and acing every written, medical, driving and physical test there was, Taniya has left most of us as stunned as she has proud, by proving her mettle no less than her male counterpart. For that, we respect the woman and everything that she stands for. The tests that were no cakewalk and included intense rounds such as, physical strength, run long distance, sprint, climb ladders and carry a 40 kg sandbag for a distance of 60 meters.
India needs to talk more about girls like #TaniyaSanyal
Best wishes to her on becoming the first woman firefighter at Indian Airports! pic.twitter.com/zAGgH2lHWd
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) May 1, 2018
Also Read : Bhageerathi Amma, The 105-Year-Old Woman Who Gave Her Grade Four Examination Last Year, Will Be Honoured With The Nari Shakti Puraskar. We Are So Inspired.
Taniya has been one of the most deserving aspirants, who was also awarded the Citizen Safety Award 2019 by Safety Professional Association of India (SPAI) and was also presented with the DCW Achievement Award from the Delhi Commission of Women. No wonder she got through the tests and became a firefighter, to the point that she now even trains both men and women planning to become firefighters with the AAI.
When asked about whether this was her childhood dream, she said, “Since my childhood, I always dreamt of taking up challenging tasks and wanted to choose the path less traveled. I dreamt of becoming a person who can do something that would bring a positive change in the society.” And that she undoubtedly has.
When probed about what her parents thought of her ambition, she said, “My parents had been very supportive at every stage of my life. When I broke the news to my parents that I had not only cleared both the written and physical test but was also the first woman ever to do so, they were shocked and amazed – and felt proud that I got the kind of job which I had always hoped for.”
And not just them, speaking on behalf of all womenkind, we are standing here with our heads held high as another woman makes takes a landmark step in proving to the world, that there is absolutely nothing a woman can’t do better than a man.
Kudos Taniya!
