TIRUCHY: On Mother's Day on Sunday, two children had a special reason to be proud of their mothers. They told their mothers that their hearts swelled with pride because of the service they did by bringing back 177 Indian nationals from Malaysia to Tiruchy on Saturday. These mothers are Captain Kavitha Rajkumar and senior cabin crew Pushpavalli.
Kavitha has been a pilot for more than 15 years. She volunteered for this mission as she says it is her duty. In fact, her husband, too, volunteered for the mission. He is the chief of operations at Air India Express. As she landed in Kuala Lumpur and called her eight-year-old daughter, her daughter told her she was extremely proud of her. At that moment, wearing the hazmat suit and taking the risk all seemed worth it.
"When they asked who is available, I volunteered. It felt very nice Air India Express is taking part in this repatriation mission. We are all thankful to them for planning this flight. As a mother, I had mixed feelings as I was leaving my child behind but I also knew I had to do my duty. It is a good humanitarian cause," said Kavitha.
For Pushpavalli, whose husband is in Dubai, volunteering for the Vande Bharat Mission was a no-brainer. This Tiruchy woman chose to fly from her native place as 'there is no better feeling. "We are aware of the risks, but tell me, if my husband would be stranded, wouldn't I want someone to bring him back?
Similarly, I got the opportunity to bring back families of hundreds of people. We got the blessings of the families of so many people," said Pushpavalli.
The flight was not without its challenges. Wearing a hazmat suit for five to six hours is not an easy task. The special Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and guidelines by the airline helped, say the crew. "It was definitely challenging. When we initially entered, we kept thinking, should we sanitise our hand every time we touch a surface. It was a little difficult for the cabin crew to walk around in the hazmat suit. We were all a little worried and anxious. I am very proud of my first officer and four cabin crew members. We took all the precautions and followed the special procedures given by the airline," said Kavitha.
For the crew, they already had feedback about the suit from other members who flew. "I was scared initially. We heard that it was suffocating. However, we felt secure wearing the suit. The hard part was not going to the washroom. We did not eat or drink anything for around six hours to avoid going to the washroom. Passengers were very cooperative. Our captain also motivated us," said Pushpavalli.
What also helped give the crew confidence was the fact the first officer was a doctor. The crew says it was a 'different feeling'. Pushpavalli says her seven-year-old son's words were the biggest encouragement for her. "He came to the airport, gave me a hug and a kiss and said go carefully and rescue those people. I will be waiting for you. When I told him I would not be able to see him after coming back as I had to be in isolation, he said that it is okay, you do what you have to do," says Pushpavalli.
The crew also included Rajkumar, who is also from Tiruchy, Himanshu and Parvinder Kaur.