Tragedies and disasters can also act as an inspiration. It certainly was for Shivangi Menon, who is a junior first officer (under training to be a pilot) with Air India Express. Her parents were on the ill-fated IC 814, and had boarded the Air India flight from Kathmandu to Delhi after their honeymoon.
Her father Bipin Menon is now an officer at the SEZ Noida, but he has a vivid memory of the day at the Kathmandu airport. “The flight was late and we were all seated at the lounge; I remember the hijackers, as we later came to know them, were eyeing us. It made us uncomfortable, but we didn’t take much note of it then. In fact, I remember I asked one of them, who later called himself ‘Burger’, about the flight timings,” he said.
Many years later, their firstborn Shivangi overheard a conversation that her parents were having about the hijack. “She was about five years old then but as she grew up more, she began to ask questions and we would tell her about the hijack. She was in Class 11 when she became interested in the aviation sector, and that was the first time she told us that she wanted to become a pilot,” the father said.
Shivangi, who is now training with the Air India Express and will be ready to fly in a few days, told News18: “IC 814 hijack was a turnaround moment in the aviation sector in India. Initially, I would ask my parents and then I began to read. There was no Google back then, but as it picked up I began to search for information. I watched the documentary on National Geographic, where there are shots of my parents returning from their honeymoon. I was very inquisitive. I wanted to know how to handle such a situation. Today, we are well-trained in anti-hijack operations. I want to do this for my country. Many of my friends, of course, ask me how I would handle such a situation.”
But, was she or her parents, given their experience of a hijack, wary about Shivangi becoming a pilot? “Not at all. For me, that my daughter is going into a profession that does not have too many women, is impressive. Also, now we have many SOPs (standard operating procedure) to deal with a hijack situation. And I know people are saying many things, but I know the captain tried his best and he was right in prioritising and saving the passengers’ lives,” Bipin said.
For Shivangi, as she sets to fly, there is no fear. Her parents’ ordeal has only inspired her to fly higher.
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