Now, small town girls fly high

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has tied up with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) for providing free training to SC graduates in air-hostess, travel and hospitality management course. Currently 98 girls are taking part in the programme.
Among them are Taruna Barot from Sami in Patan, Nita Rathod of Khedbrahma in Sabarkantha, Darshana Jadav from Diyodar in Banaskantha, Hetal Dafda from Timbavadi in Junagadh and Saroj Pungera, Maliya, Jamnagar. “For middle-class, SC girls like us, this is one chance to prove that those who come from the challenged sections of society can come up in life, given an opportunity,” says Nikita.
“My father could not afford the money charged by private training institutes, so this government advertisement was a godsend,” said Rekha Makwana of Dhanduka.
Their sheer enthusiasm and determination, has helped them tide over the obvious culture shocks and challenges that have come their way.
“We have been running a similar programme successfully in Bangalore for the last two years. From the first batch that we trained there, thirteen girls were hired by Indian,” said Kuldeep Verma, general manager, ITDC.
30/09/07 Rahul Mangaonkar/Times of India