Obama gets Guard of Honour, woman officer her moment in the sun

Wing Commander Pooja Thakur escorts US President Barack Obama.

US President Barack Obama is finally in India, but it is Wing Commander Pooja Thakur of the Indian Air Force who has emerged as Sunday's shining star as she marched two steps behind the US President during the Guard of Honour inspection at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This is the first time that a female officer of the Air Force has led the Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Thakur's moment of pride came as 'nari shakti' (woman power) is the theme for the Republic Day Parade this year where Obama is the chief guest.

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#INDIAUSA: US President Mr @BarackObama inspecting Guard of Honour, at the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan pic.twitter.com/oRCZMSMvPB MIB India (@MIB_India) January 25, 2015

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This January 26 will also be the first time when women contingents of the army, air force and navy will march down Rajpath in the national capital.

Moments after the Guard of Honour ended, Pooja Thakur's feat went viral on Twitter with many tweeting about a woman leading the world's most powerful man and calling her the star of the morning. Here is a look at some of the tweets:

It feels great to see Wing Commander Pooja Thakur of IAF leading Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan for @BarackObama. #ObamaInIndia Mamata Das (@Mamatadas) January 25, 2015

Proud to see a woman commander of the inter services guard of honour! Wing Commander Pooja Thakur of the IAF #ObamaInDelhi Nistula Hebbar (@nistula) January 25, 2015

"@sardesairajdeep: Star of this morning: wing commander Pooja Thakur..."great women #Salute to u Madam MrDependable (@Raghuram_Here) January 25, 2015

I wonder if Wing Commander Pooja Thakur will make it to the top of the armed forces. #INDIAawakens Ashim Sen (@aashimsen) January 25, 2015

Pooja Thakur- A perfect example of #BetiBachaoBetiPadhao A proud moment for all of us and for her family. Mithun Bhardwaj (@bhardwaj_mithun) January 25, 2015

What a great moment.. Wing commander Pooja Thakur led the guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan. #Proud #Respect #BetiBachaoBetiPadhao Abhishek R (@abhi08503gR) January 25, 2015

Modi knows how to do women empowerment in India.This will inspire many.WC Pooja Thakur IAF leading Gaurd of honor.?? pic.twitter.com/D8qDDV16Te IoNotrop (@neem_hakeem) January 25, 2015

Wing commander Pooja thakur led the guard of honour at Rashtarpati bhavan!! Dear Rest of the world, This is INDIA vishnu vardhan (@Ursvishnu) January 25, 2015

For all the women empowerment talk, here is a woman who actually shows how it's done! Proud of Wing commander Pooja Thakur! #TheObamaVisit Harini Venkatesan (@chennai_maami) January 25, 2015

Wanna date Wing Commander Pooja Thakur. Can I have her number plzzz. #NamastePOTUS #ObamaInIndia Tohid Qureshi (@tohidivity) January 25, 2015

Star of this morning: Not Obama & NaMo its Wing Commander Pooja Thakur. She led the Guard of Honour this morning. Vikram Patki (@Vickypats66) January 25, 2015

Hope that fathers would have watched Pooja Thakur leading the Guard of Honour, and then looked at their daughters with smile and confidence. OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) January 25, 2015