Related Stories FOR A CHANGEMIDDLE OF NOWHEREPERMANENT ADDRESS MH-01-JA-454Running on HOPEMUMBAI'S MEN AT WORK

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AS the chatter continues in the dressing room, the chirpy Solanki discovers that many in the room—including me— have completed their graduation. “I guess I’m the youngest here,” she tells me. But there are others equally young—one gaggle of girls are sharing notes on the just-completed Std XII board exams and the impending results.
“My parents are very supportive,” says a visibly nervous Aneela Sheikh, 17, clutching her resume. Hers and many other parents wait anxiously downstairs. “Gone are the days when parents objected to jobs in the aviation industry. My daughter is pursuing her higher studies as well, but if she gets through here, she can hone her conversational skills," says one mother, hopeful even after hours of waiting.
Puneet and I gauge how much longer it will be before our turn arrives. One of the girls has force-applied some make-up on Puneet, who, at 5 feet 7 inches without her heels, has been told she’s a strong contender if she’ll abandon her spectacles. It’s been four hours and our turn is a good two hours away. We’re chickening out, we explain sheepishly.
As we leave, some of the experienced girls flaunt their proficiency to the freshers. “I love travelling, that’s the reason I am here. My passion is to serve passengers. All clichéd answers, but they work,” says a girl in her late twenties, clearly already flying for another airline. “Or maybe you can say you’ve got your eyes on the skies.”

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