I recently travelled from Mumbai to London Heathrow via Indigo airlines, where I met a young lady called Anjali. Anjali was serving as one of the crew members on the flight.
It was almost couple of hours since the flight was in air. The food was served an hour ago and most of the passengers were sleeping after the meal that was served, and I was indulged in reading a book, The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda. The book was getting really interesting but I too was feeling a bit tired and sleepy.
A Letter:
From the Father of Two Hard-working, Courageous and Ambitious Daughters, to someone’s daughter of same age!
I decided to go to the serving area and requested for a cup of tea. This is where I met Anjali. She was very welcoming and quickly prepared a masala chai for me. To come out of that sleepy phase I thought of having a brief chat with her.
She was full of energy even after the busy meal serving phase. She said, she was with Indigo for almost two and a half years, this was her first job, and she absolutely loved what she was doing. She was from Manipur (state/county) and mentioned that she got this job after her 12th Standard (A Levels) exams during a walk-in interview. She always wanted to become a crew member from childhood and finally she managed to find her dream job.
I came to know during the conversation that this happened to be the penultimate Indigo flight to the UK as the airline has decided to stop flying codeshare flights (collaboration with other airlines) and start their own Indigo flights sometime in future on this sector.
A fine young lady, of my daughter’s age, who was looking forward to life and had so much to offer, was asking me life questions e.g. where do I like more, India or UK, and why?
After our brief chat, I went back to my seat having my tea and wondering on what the future holds for her, what all will she need in her armoury, and what will help her succeed. This is when I penned this letter for her.
23/10/26
Flight: Indigo, 6E1
Mumbai – London
Dear Anjali,
Thought of leaving you a note after our brief conversation. Read this as a note from one passenger to another who were travelling together, not just on this flight but also in our own lives.
It is amazing to see how you have overcome societal fears, and have started working in a corporate organisation at such a young age, and it is also incredible to know how far you are ready to travel to live your ambitions.
I am sure you would have faced many challenges, at home and by living away from home. You coming this far shows your resolve and belief in your own self.
As a fellow traveller, who has clocked a few more miles, would like to share some of the learnings that came my way.
Make sure that you find time for yourself to invest in your skills. Skills that are not just practically applicable but that can be proven on paper, as degree certificates because you never know when you will need them. Take time off and go to the best of the universities to study, because the country needs brave and courageous women like you.
Remember, the biggest asset that you will build is the one that you can carry it along with you wherever you go.
Secondly, try and share your learnings with others in whatever form to create more Anjalis on this planet.
And finally, never give up! Remember it will end only when you will choose to end, so keep fighting!
Wish you all the best!!
And, Thanks for the cup of tea.
Best Regards,
Bhavin Shukla
bhavinshukla.com
Anjali means, “a divine offering”, and her parents have chosen the right name. It was my turn to offer and share my learnings, everything that I have been telling/teaching my daughters, and everything that I could and wanted to tell her was hopefully capture via a piece of A4 size paper.
Sometimes, you try and say everything but later feel that so much could have been told and nothing was said. One of those things!
Maybe she was working with Indigo for a few more years then she mentioned, and not as young as she said to hide her identity – a standard practice.
It doesn’t matter, the letter is still relevant – the lessons learnt are applicable to my two princesses at any point in their lives.
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