Pune: A Khelo India badminton gold medallist, an outstanding medical student and now an officer in the Indian Air Force, Flying Officer Ananya Phadke has seamlessly combined sporting excellence, academic achievement and dream to serve for the nation.She emerged as the best all-round graduate of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) and was awarded the prestigious President’s Gold Medal and the Kalinga Trophy during the passing-out parade of AFMC’s 60th batch held on Friday. She was recognised for her exceptional all-round performance in academics, leadership, sports and extracurricular activities before being commissioned into the IAFs medical branch.The parade, held at Captain Devashish Sharma Kirti Chakra Parade Ground, in which she was also the company commander. “It was my dream to join the IAF, simply because I like their uniform. Today, I am happy that I could achieve my dream,” she told TOI on the sidelines.For Phadke, the journey reflects years of disciplined effort across diverse fields. Before entering medical college, she won a gold medal in badminton at the Khelo India Games in the under-17 category while maintaining an excellent academic record. Her father, dentist Santosh Phadke, said the Covid-19 pandemic became a turning point in her career. “She had always been equally committed to sports and academics. When sporting activities came to a halt during the pandemic while she was in Class XI, she channelled all her energy into studies. Her hard work eventually brought her to AFMC and today she has been recognised as its best all-round graduate. This is the biggest proud moment for us,” he said.Ananya completed her schooling at Abhinav English Medium School and later studied at Fergusson College. She said her ambition to become a doctor was shaped early in life, while interactions with military officers during her school years inspired her to wear the uniform. “I always wanted to become a doctor. Whenever officers visited our school, I was inspired by their discipline and sense of purpose. AFMC was the only place where I could pursue both medicine and military service,” she said.Reflecting on her four years at AFMC, Phadke said the institution offered far more than medical education. “I could continue playing badminton, go trekking and participate in several leadership activities while learning from some of the finest doctors in the Armed forces. Serving as a military doctor is a huge responsibility. Whatever I have achieved so far was for myself; from now on, I want to serve others and serve the nation,” she said.
