Neelam
Mathews
Nov 20,
2015
NEW DELHI: In 1998 India
released a stamp to celebrate woman in aviation, an important recognition for
this ofttimes invisible force. Today, there is a storm of
motivation brewing to do more to educate, train and recognize women in aviation, as
this journalist recently learned in the green environs of the
Dusit Devarana Hotel on the outskirts of New Delhi. There, a group of
women has launched the India chapter of Women in Aviation, International (WAI).
CJ Collins, who serves as
the FAA senior representative in New Delhi covering South Asia, is the
brainchild behind WAI’s launch in India. “I was at a WAI event and what
hit me was India’s neighbor UAE had a chapter. Why not here?” A couple of
chance meetings with Radha Bhatia, chairperson at Indian travel and technology
services provider Bird Group, “where we were two lone women” in an
all-male crowd, led to their mutual resolve to launch WAI’s 147th Chapter on 22
October.
Now serving as WAI India
mentor, Collins declares, “We can’t concentrate on 50% [of the] population
being left out of skill development.” Bhatia wholeheartedly agrees. The
industry has changed radically since 42 years ago “when you found women only at
counters and never in sales”, she says. But much more work can and should be
done.
The careers of the
founding members, pictured above, represent a diverse mix of professions
related to aviation, be they pilots and cabin crew, a regulator, journalist,
lawyer, activist and ground handler.
A common experience among
the younger generation in this mix is that they have had to battle against
the dissent of family members to get where they are at.
Take Shweta Singh, who
serves as deputy chief flying operation inspector at India’s Directorate
General of Civil Aviation, and a captain with Jet Airways. The fighter jets
flown by her father, an Indian Air Force officer, inspired a dream to fly
as a young girl. “But he was keen on me becoming a doctor,” she tells RGN.
“I went into the dental field but did not find it interesting. Finally I got my
way and joined a flying school in Texas.”
The rest is history.
Shweta went on to become the youngest woman captain and also inspector. She
also won a beauty contest and was selected to represent Delhi. “But they wanted
me to give them a year of my time and that would affect my flying.” She hopes
to someday play a role on the international stage, possibly with ICAO.
A similar story of endurance and grit was shared by Captain
Priti Sidharth Singh, a pilot with low-cost carrier SpiceJet. She’s eager
to see more women join the pilot ranks. And management is firmly on board, as highlighted by the carrier’s recruiting efforts.
Read more on runwaygirlnetwork.com
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