An Etihad crew member, the first woman from her village to work abroad, has been winning hearts on the internet with her story of resilience and struggle to make her dreams come true even if it meant having to cut ties with her family.
Mamata Choudhary hails from a village in Rajasthan where women are expected to only cook, clean, and raise kids. So when she completed her primary education, everyone around her started talking about getting her married. But she wasn't one to fit into stereotypes.
"I told Papa, ‘Main sheher jaungi (I'll move to the city).’ He agreed, but at a price–he cut ties with me. But this was a price I was willing to pay," Choudhary told Humans of Bombay.
She moved to Delhi but soon faced difficulties with language. "Being from a village, English became a problem. I’d get rejected at interviews and judged for my appearance," Choudhary said.
Not willing to give up on her dreams, she used YouTube and lessons from friends to get better at English and groom herself. Finally, in July 2018, she got a job as a cabin crew.
"Excited, I called home, but they didn’t care. In fact, as news spread in my village, everyone said, ‘Naak kata degi (She'll bring dishonour).’ My family cut me off completely."
But things took a turn for the worse when she did not have a passport and lost her job. "There were times when I’d go days without food. I felt lost and depressed. I missed my family. So one night in 2019, I gathered all the courage, called Maa, and said ‘I’ll die alone and you won’t know.’ She cried and said, ‘Come home!' So I went. I’m not sure what changed, but I guess they realized that I’m not giving up on my dreams. In fact, Papa even said, ‘Tu kar jo karna hai (Do what you want to do).’
With her family's support, Choudhury returned stronger, took up some modeling gigs, and acted as a body double. Then she landed another job as a cabin crew member for domestic flights. In 2022, she got another offer for the same position in Abu Dhabi.
"I became the first woman from my village to work abroad. My parents were so proud of me. Papa hugged me and said, ‘Shabash (Well done)!’ It’s been a year now, and ever since, I’ve traveled to 23 countries and bought my dad a car," Choudhary said.
Now, she also gets invited to speak at girls' schools and colleges in Rajasthan. "Once I was visiting my family, when a girl said, ‘Didi, aap humari prerna ho (You are our inspiration).’ It was at that moment when I thought, all that struggle, all those tears and lonely nights were worth it. And I’d do it over and over again if it means becoming the beacon of change for other Mamtas like me.”
Read more: Etihad gets new CEO; all you need to know about Antonoaldo Neves
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.
Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.
