The contribution of women in the Indian defense forces of India is a testament to their bravery and mental toughness. This International Women's Day, the Indian Air Force and Avani Chaturvedi, the first woman to fly a fighter jet solo have given a beautiful message to everyone.

IAF's salute to women

IAF released a video featuring women pilots like Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth, and Mohana Singh on Thursday morning.

"IAF salutes the spirit, courage, and strength of women," said the video.

It also added, "Every woman inspires, nurtures and supports, but some wear overalls and combats boots as well".

The two minutes and twenty seconds video, which has a song called 'zameen se chalein hum aasmaan ke kareeb' playing in background showcases women officers attending training sessions along with their male counterparts.

The video also features several batches of women officers and women cadets participating in parades and other ground operations of the IAF.

Here's the video of the IAF:

Here's what Avani Chaturvedi said

Avani Chaturvedi flies MiG-21 solo
Avani Chaturvedi flies MiG-21 solo. In picture: An IAF MiG-21 takes off during a drill for Air Force DayDIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images

Avani Chaturvedi, who became the first ever Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft (MiG-21 bison) solo at the age of 24 said that it feels good to be an inspiration to others, reported Hindustan Times.

Hailing from a family with several members in the Army, Chaturvedi always wanted to be a pilot.

Here's what she said this Women's Day:

"It feels good to have become [an] inspiration for someone. But I don't think I've done something great, a lot of them have done the same before... Yes, you can say that for the first time a girl has done it, but the feeling isn't very different.

At any point in life, be it in any field, women should not feel that they are different, rather they should focus on doing their best in whatever they do, find their own voice and the rest will fall in place. If you are good professionally and competent, then everybody would accept you

We all have it in us to overcome the hurdles, which are part of our existence. Dream big and then work hard towards achieving it. Never lose hope! Staying strong is important and nothing can stop you."

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