World YWCA Day 2019: Women changing power structures

What made you choose this profession?

I am from a small town in Tamilnadu near Madurai and wanted to prove myself as a girl who dared to dream. I started my CPL course in Hyderabad in 2004 and started working from 2006.

What about your job do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy every moment of my job, the best is when first-time flyers and elderly passengers wish you after the flight. It’s a wonderful feeling, they bless you as if you’re their own daughter.

What were the biggest challenges you faced when you started and how did you overcome them?

Before starting my course in 2004, I had to face lots of negativity from my relatives, neighbours and friends. As a girl, that was the biggest battle, because I had to answer so many ifs and buts. Ultimately, with family support, I could not only achieve my dream but the people around me also started believing in aiming high!

What would you tell your younger self now if you could?

Be strong, anything is possible, but work towards your goal. Don’t bother about what others think. When human beings don’t understand their own needs, or those of other people, then we have an understanding gap. In that understanding gap, we make stuff up to fill it. We tell stories, we judge, we blame. We need to understand that we are here in this world for different reasons.

Who is Capt. Indra outside the cockpit?

A bubbly personality and a mother of two daughters.