|
Ranjita Kothal’s dreams have taken wing.
The 21-year-old is now an air hostess with Air Arabia, drawing a monthly salary of more than Rs100,000 (about Dh8,573).
Back home in Jabalpur, a town in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, her parents and six siblings cannot believe that the non-graduate tribal girl could be earning so much so early in life.
Like Ranjita, 30 other Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) — Indian communities that are explicitly recognised by the Constitution of India as requiring special support to overcome centuries of discrimination by mainstream Hindu society — girls from far-flung areas of Madhya Pradesh are part of the first batch undergoing a state government-financed air hostess training programme at the Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training in Bhopal.
Sonam Chauhan, 17, hails from Multai taluka in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, about 230 kilometres south of Bhopal.
Her father, a farmer, had no idea about the aviation-hospitality industry.
Yet when she read out a government advertisement offering an “all-paid-for” air hostess training programme, her father put her on the first train to Bhopal.
At the Frankfinn academy, she is undergoing training under several modules, including personality development, grooming, English, online ticketing, hospitality and first aid.
Speaking to Weekend Review, another member of the batch, Manisha Karyam, said: “My parents were initially opposed to the idea, but not anymore.”
Asked what changed their perception, Manisha said: “I have started speaking in English, so they feel proud.”
Iqbal Singh Bains, secretary to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and head of the aviation department in the state, said the state government pays the academy Rs100,000 for each girl’s training.
“We decided to train these tribal and Dalit [backward classes] girls as we want these sections to be part of the mainstream.
After finishing their Standard 12, some of them are jobless and know little about careers in aviation and hospitality,” Bains said.
“If the scheme succeeds, the government will increase the number of sponsored seats for SC and ST girls.”
Frankfinn director Arun Gupta said the academy tied up with the Madhya Pradesh government as part of its social commitment and [took it up as] a challenge.
“We were overwhelmed by the response. A few days after the government advertised the scheme, the local postman came to me asking for a labourer.
I was surprised by his demand but gave in. The next thing I saw was the duo carting a huge container.
It had over 5,000 letters — the response to the advertisement,” Gupta said. “I realised then that the scheme was going to be a success.”
Trainer Ritu Singh said the girls have integrated well with the rest of the batch.
“There are some problems such as poor communication skills and a lack of general awareness and etiquette, but these can be overcome through training,” she said.
Gupta said the academy, started by a Delhi-based lawyer K.S. Kohli, has a 100 per cent induction and placement record.
“Apart from airlines, our students also get absorbed into top hotels, banks and BPOs.”
Gupta said the parents of many of the girls in the first batch were anxious.
Most wondered if their daughters would have to remain unmarried while others gingerly asked about possible exploitation.
“We are teaching [the girls] everything from scratch but in a subtle way so that they do not get conscious of their background.”
Supriya Dhurve, a tribal from Mandla district, said the very fact that she was getting trained to be an air hostess has given her tremendous self-confidence.
“I came from Hindi-medium schooling and did not know what an air hostess was expected to do.
Today I have learnt the proper way to offer a drink and can handle situations where passengers get ‘cheeky’,” she said.
The girls are now getting everything they had dreamt of — glamour, glitz and, of course, money.
They have managed to overcome their backward-class status and realise their dreams.
Shuriah Niazi is a freelance journalist based in central India.
Frankfinn’s feats
The Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training is the only institute/academy in India to offer a Business and Technical Education Council (BTEC) Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Aviation, Hospitality and Travel Management — awarded by Edexcel, UK, said Arun Gupta, the director of the Bhopal institute.
The Limca Book of Records has recorded the institute’s special achievements:
- Best Cabin Crew selections — eight times more than any other air hostess academy
- Only Basic Cabin Crew Training Institute to have its own leased real Airbus A-300
- The largest centres network
- “Aviation Times” published by Frankfinn, is India’s first and only monthly aviation magazine
|
