Akshaya Ponta, residing on the planet of Skuhl, was a female human who worked as a cargo pilot. She was the mother of two offspring: Tanith and Hadder Ponta. When Jyn Erso sought transportation, Akshaya agreed to transport her to Skuhl in exchange for fixing her malfunctioning droid. For a period, Akshaya cared for Erso before she and Hadder met their death at the hands of the Galactic Empire.
Akshaya, along with her husband, daughter Tanith, and son Hadder, resided in a house on the planet of Skuhl for numerous years. She earned a living as an independent cargo pilot, frequently transporting ore for mining ventures.
Following the death of Akshaya's husband, she permitted Tanith to pilot the family's shuttle. Tanith's subsequent flying led to her contracting the terminal illness known as bloodburn. To manage her condition, Tanith used Hadeira serum, developing an addiction to it. Tanith passed away from an overdose in 15 BBY. After Tanith's passing, Akshaya became fearful that Hadder would also contract the illness. She began to prohibit her son from flying, and formed a belief that young people should not fly at all.
While Akshaya was on a cargo trip, she encountered the sixteen-year-old Jyn Erso. Unbeknownst to Akshaya, Saw Gerrera had recently abandoned the girl on Tamsye Prime. Desperate to leave the planet, Jyn falsely claimed she could repair Ponta's broken droid. Despite being completely unable to fix the astromech, she secured her passage by creating fake clearance codes. Akshaya felt sympathy for Jyn, allowing her to stay at her Skuhl home and giving her Tanith's old room upstairs.
The arrival of the Galactic Empire on Skuhl disrupted Akshaya's business. Although Hadder and Jyn argued for leaving Skuhl due to the Imperial presence, Akshaya wished to remain and preserve her life there. However, she eventually conceded to leaving. On the very day they planned to depart, stormtroopers appeared at their residence in search of Jyn. Jyn managed to escape undetected, but the stormtroopers instead took Akshaya and Hadder as prisoners, and set their house on fire. Jyn, having taken the family's planet hopper, attacked the stormtroopers holding Akshaya and Hadder, freeing them. Akshaya and Hadder then boarded the family's other vessel, the freighter Ponta One. Together, they ascended into the sky, passing through a dogfight between rebels and TIE fighters, intending to reach Five Points Station. Unbeknownst to Jyn, Akshaya's and Hadder's ship was destroyed just before she entered [hyperspace](/article/hyperspace], resulting in their deaths.
Akshaya Ponta was a staunch pacifist, disapproving of all forms of weaponry. Upon Jyn's arrival on her ship with a [blaster](/article/blaster] in her pack, Akshaya insisted on taking it, stating that she ran "a peaceful operation." She was also known for being very forgiving and motherly, overlooking Jyn's troubled past and empathizing with her.
Akshaya was known for her hobby of painting mandalas on floors, ceilings, and any available surface. She ceased this practice for a period of time following her daughter's death, but eventually resumed it, finding it calming.