Vikas Khanna’s mother says she trained with Rajiv Gandhi, was Punjab’s ‘first lady driver’

3 min readNew DelhiJul 1, 2026 07:50 PM IST

Bindu revealed that she trained alongside the late Rajiv Gandhi during his flying lessons

Almost every Indian is familiar with chef Vikas Khanna, his culinary achievements, and his acclaimed New York restaurant, Bungalow. But few know that his mother Bindu Khanna was once a pilot and is remembered as “the first lady driver of Punjab”.

In a recent episode of Curly Tales, host Kamiya Jani travelled to Amritsar to meet Vikas Khanna‘s family. During the interaction, Bindu revealed that, in her 80 years of life, it was the first time she had ever given an interview or had someone visit her specifically for one.

Speaking to Kamiya, Vikas Khanna’s elder brother, Nishant Khanna, said their mother had trained as a pilot. He also revealed that she was known as “the first lady driver of Punjab” and had even participated in a car rally recently.

Bindu said she still drives every day and sometimes casually announces at 2 am that she wants to drive from

Amritsar to Delhi.

Recalling one such journey, Nishant said, “She drove at about 180 kmph, and I was screaming. At that speed, she was driving from Amritsar to Delhi.”

During the conversation, Bindu also revealed that she trained alongside the late Rajiv Gandhi during his flying lessons. However, she could not pursue aviation after getting married.

“I would have been the number one pilot,” Bindu said, prompting Kamiya to reply, “Abhi bhi scope hai.”

Nishant added that whenever his mother visits New York, she flies there on her own.

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The clip has since gone viral, with many viewers praising Bindu in the comments. “She is inspiration,” one of them wrote. Another commented, “India today holds the highest female pilot ratio and the highest number of women in the aviation workforce in the world.”

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A third user clarified, “She is not a commercial pilot. She has a private pilot licence, and private pilots fly strictly for personal, recreational or hobby purposes and cannot be paid.” Another person wrote, “Wow! If it was not for Vikas, we wouldn’t have known his mom, the woman! Salute to her.”

A fifth said, “Wow, Chef Vikas’s mom is a rockstar. Big respect. Assam also has its first woman pilot, Dhira Chaliha Hazarika, who earned her private pilot licence in 1961.”