Jhojhu Kalan: Living in the open fields and breathing in the pure, fresh air, Rambai never imagined she would break world records and earn the nickname ‘Udanpari’ over a century into her life. Now, with more than 200 medals to her name, she has another reason to celebrate: her great-granddaughter Zenith is training for her first solo flights as a pilot.
Haryana is known for its rich legacy of sporting achievements, but Jhojhu Kalan village in Charkhi Dadri district stands out, with one family spanning four generations of women achievers. The house walls and cupboards overflow with medals and certificates, and the neighbours proudly point visitors in the right direction. The House of Sangwan is a gift that keeps giving. Women of every generation are high achievers. And now, Zenith is the latest one to shatter the ceiling—only this ceiling goes through the clouds.
“When I told Nani in 2023 that I’ll become a pilot and will soon be flying aeroplanes, she was so happy to know that I’d be flying the same kind of plane she once travelled in to compete in games,” Zenith Gahlawat, 22, told ThePrint.
At 108, Rambai is too frail to fully register Zenith’s achievements. When the family shares updates about Zenith’s flying, she simply nods. She holds her certificates tenderly, as if they were the report cards of her own extraordinary journey.
Zenith’s mother, 42-year-old Sharmila Sangwan, works as a DTC bus driver and is a master of handling heavy vehicles. She taught Zenith to drive early, training her not just on cars but also on larger vehicles. Like her mother, Zenith loves being in control of massive and powerful vehicles, especially when they are thousands of feet above ground.
“It’s incredible to operate such a big machine. It trusts you, and you trust it. The plane does exactly what I command,” Zenith said. “It’s the thrill, the rush, the unbeatable high that I get when I fly.”
Like Rambai, Zenith includes doodh, dahi, makhan, and churma in her daily diet— a family tradition that has built muscles, medals, and now, wings.
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Legacy of strength, medals to wings
Dressed in black and white, Zenith steps into the cockpit with quiet confidence. She adjusts her seat, straps on her seatbelt, flips the master switch, and checks if the area is clear. She says she loves the moment when the engine roars to life and the vibrations pulse through her. This is where she belongs—in command of a machine that answers only to her.
Zenith was 18 years old when her great-grandmother ran in the National Masters Athletics Championships, despite never having entered a competition before. At the age of 104, Rambai discovered her love for running and ended up soaring.
It all started in 2021 when Sharmila entered five family members, including her mother Santra and grandmother Rambai, into the championships. The experience was as transformative for Santra as it was for Rambai.
Now 64, Santra wasn’t an athlete before 2021. Her days were once like those of any other grandmother—simple and predictable. But everything changed the day she found herself running those few metres. She too has won medal after medal.
“I felt strength from within, and my heart was happy when I ran the first time. Who knew there was so much power inside me? There’s no shame, no matter what anyone says. I ran a lot. I didn’t care about anything,” Santra said. Though she hasn’t been able to run recently due to daily demands, she plans to return to the track soon.
Zenith too has taken a leaf from the three generations of women before her. When she was cleared to fly solo, her coach repeatedly asked if she was scared. She wasn’t. As she recalls it, the adrenaline rushed through her veins and all she could see was the boundless sky stretching endlessly ahead, calling her to rise.
“You should be a little scared, Zenith,” her coach had said, nicknaming her ‘Sherni.’
Zenith attributes her strength to her mother, Sharmila, who has been her greatest teacher and inspiration.
Success doesn’t belong to anyone in particular. Anyone can achieve it if given the chance. When someone stops you from pursuing something, it becomes even more important to prove them wrong and fulfil your dreams
-Sharmila Sangwan
Seventeen years ago, Sharmila’s husband died in a car accident when Zenith was five, and her youngest daughter, Jasmine, was still in the womb. Refusing to let grief define her life, she worked tirelessly, putting in 22-hour days to support her family. In 2024, she started her job as a DTC bus driver, breaking the cycle of dependency and pursuing freedom for herself and her children.
“At the training camp, everyone talks about their fathers’ support, and for the first time, I felt the absence of mine. But at home, my mother always made sure we never lacked anything, so I never missed my father,” Zenith said.
While she initially hesitated to tell her mother about her dream of becoming a pilot, fearing the cost would be too much, Sharmila didn’t think twice. She instantly said yes, reassuring Zenith that she had saved enough for her education.
With just 60 hours of flight training left, Zenith is on the brink of earning her pilot’s licence, likely by May or June 2025. Training at a flight school in Narnaul, she needs to complete a total of 200 hours to receive her commercial pilot’s certificate.
Sharmila has invested nearly Rs 1 crore in her daughter’s future, and gladly so.
“It’s all worth it as long as my daughter is happy, independent, and flying up in the air,” she said.
The family is close-knit—even though Sharmila, Zenith, and Jasmine live in Delhi’s Dwarka and Santra in a one-storey home in the village, they often congregate at Rambai’s house in the middle of open fields.
Zenith is determined to make her own mark, but she says her great-grandmother’s name will always be part of her victories. She hopes Rambai will be by her side when she earns her licence. Like Rambai, Zenith includes doodh, dahi, makhan, and churma in her daily diet— a family tradition that has built muscles, medals, and now, wings.
One male cousin, according to Sharmila, warned Rambai: “If you leave the house again, you’ll see my dead face.”
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A family of firsts
Not everyone trains their century-old grandmother to win gold medals or can drive a Trolla truck 878 kilometres in 24 hours, but Sharmila Sangwan isn’t just anyone. She enjoys her Red Bull, dances to upbeat Haryanvi songs and commands respect across generations. Children in her family adore her and the elders know better than to tell her what to do.
Inspired by the late centenarian athlete Mann Kaur, Sharmila dared her family to dream bigger. She drove her grandmother, mother, and a few other relatives to Varanasi for the athletics championship, where Rambai won gold.
“I used to sneak my mother and grandmother to competitions, telling them it was just a short trip,” Sharmila said. “Once, I took them to Alwar, then to West Bengal, where the games lasted a month. They had no idea I had already booked tickets for everything.” Another time, she took the family from Nepal to Kerala and Bangalore—a trip that lasted three months straight. In September 2023, she and her grandmother travelled to Malaysia, where Rambai won four gold medals, and Sharmila claimed two silvers.
Sharmila’s life, however, hasn’t been a string of victories.
Married young and still awaiting her 12th-grade results, her world crumbled when her husband died in a car accident, leaving her a single mother to Zenith and an unborn Jasmine.
“Life as I knew it ended. All I could think about was how to feed my kids and keep going,” she said.
Despite this help, Sharmila had to find a way to make a living and raise her daughter.
“More than half my life has been spent alone,” she said. Her husband worked at a bank, and after his death, she took over the work he used to handle. It wasn’t easy. People would mock her, saying, “Sher toh gaye, bas giddad reh gaye” (The lions are gone; only jackals remain). Determined to prove them wrong, she started learning from scratch and in ways no one expected.
Who knew there was so much power inside me? There’s no shame, no matter what anyone says. I ran a lot. I didn’t care about anything
-Santra Sangwan
Sharmila’s late husband, Jai Singh Gahlawat, had once said he wanted to see her drive heavy vehicles. At the time she’d laughed it off.
“I said, ‘Why would I drive a truck?’ I had children to raise and a home to run.”
But after his death, she made it her mission to fulfill his dream. She not only learned to drive but mastered it, earning a Best Driver award at DTC last year.
“I drive with a fearless mind,” she said—a mindset that defines her approach to everything.
Though she never returned to her maternal home, her family remained supportive. Her father often stays with her in Dwarka Mor, while her mother, Santra, sends laddoos and other treats. When Sharmila visits the village, Santra pampers her with desi makkhan and lassi.
But not everyone in the family celebrated the Sangwan women’s success. Some cousins couldn’t stand the idea of women stepping out and building names for themselves.
One male cousin, according to Sharmila, warned Rambai: “If you leave the house again, you’ll see my dead face.”
However, when media visits to Rambai’s home became frequent, and recognition poured in from across the country, the resistance gradually faded.
Now, Rambai is unwell and no longer runs. While others encourage her to rest, Sharmila still wants to see her run again.
The next generation is on her mind too. She plans to provide free athletics training to children once her daughters are independent.
“Success doesn’t belong to anyone in particular. Anyone can achieve it if given the chance,” she said. “When someone stops you from pursuing something, it becomes even more important to prove them wrong and fulfil your dreams.”
Watching Zenith pursue her dream of flying has inspired Sharmila to set her own sights higher as well—she wants to pilot a plane herself, a goal she plans to chase once her daughters are fully independent.
Her confidence is unshakable. In conservative Haryanvi society, she laughs freely and sings her heart out without worrying what anyone thinks. Once, she walked into a vehicle showroom and bought a scooter. She didn’t know how to ride it back then, and when the staff asked how she’d take it home, she said: “You bring it to my house, I’ll surely learn to ride it.”
(Edited by Asavari Singh)