THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Major Nikitha A Nair, a Malayali woman stood next to the Prime Minister while hoisting the national flag at the Red Fort. Her mother did not hide her feelings when sharing her happiness.

‘When she first told me that she wanted to join the army, I was surprised. But her decision was firm. It was the right thing to do,’ said Deepika Nair, Nikitha's mother and a native of Thiruvananthapuram in an interview with Kerala Kaumudi.

Deepika Nair came to the Red Fort to witness that moment, which was a source of pride for all Malayalis. Nikitha, along with another female major named Jasmine Kaur accompanied the Prime Minister in hoisting the national flag on Independence Day.

Major Nikhitha A Nair is a descendant of Arumana Ammaveedu in Kottaykkakam. Relatives of Arumana Ammaveedu watched the event live on TV. A family member, Kizhakkemadam Pratap, expressed their excitement.

Nikitha's mother Deepika Nair is the daughter of the late Venugopalan Thambi from the Ammaveedu family. Nikitha's father was late Ajith Nair was an official at Kodak Film Company.

Born in Mumbai in 1992, Nikitha had her childhood and education in Bengaluru and Pune. Besides being a Bharatanatyam dancer, Nikitha was also recognized as Miss Pune 2013.

After graduating in psychology, she joined the army in 2016 and underwent training at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai starting her service as a lieutenant.