Pilot, mother finds a million views for each of her videos. Follow to know why?
What if you get to know that a girl who had no hopes of going beyond high school education turned out into a young lady piloting a commercial airline? Well, a girl from Haryana had the least hope that she would study beyond high school education. But she crossed every hurdle thrown in her way and is now donning hats as a mother, a Captain and a Youtuber. "It wasn't easy being ambitious in a society where people thought, 'Ladkiyan bojh hain (girls are a burden)," she says.
"I Will Make You Proud"
Ritu Rathee Taneja hails from Haryana and is born into a lower-middle-class family. She always was sceptical about pursuing higher education going beyond high school owing to her family's financial constraints but she knew she wanted to go beyond. Her super supportive parents were always her strength when things seemed to pull her back. Ritu was very good at Math and Science as compared to languages and general knowledge. When one of her friends in school suggested to her to become a pilot, it sounded right to Ritu. She went on to pursue B.SC in Chemistry from St Stephen’s College in Delhi. However, things were not going smooth in the house. Her relatives suggested to Ritu's parents that they should get her married rather than getting her educated so much. But her parents didn't pay heed to their words and Ritu became a graduate. After graduation, Ritu applied to pilot training programs in the US. She received a call within eight months but she knew that her parents wouldn't be happy with the idea of her travelling so far. She then went to her father and said, "Spend the money you have saved for my wedding on my education instead. I promise you that I would make you proud one day." Her father agreed but not the relatives who said, "She'll go abroad and do things with boys, get her married before she's fully ruined". Again, Ritu's parents didn't listen to their words and sent her to train in Arizona, USA. After 18 months, Ritu came back but was disappointed at the scarcity of jobs. "I struggled to get a job since there were no vacancies. Relatives took digs at papa saying, 'We told you this would happen," she recollects. Things turned worse when Ritu's mother died of a brain haemorrhage while on the other side the family came to a position where they had to survive on loans. At such a critical phase, Ritu took up a part-time job to support her studies and family. She kept herself updated and ready by studying seven hours a day before and after her working hours. Her hard work paid off finally when she got an offer from an airline as a co-pilot. "I was elated.", she said.
Flying - A Liberation:
Ritu piloted about 60 flights a month for the next four years. Her outstanding work got her promoted as a Captain very soon. "Sitting on the Captain's seat was my 'Apna time aa Gaya moment," she shares. Ritu met her husband during this time and together they have a daughter too.
Chronicling Life:
Ritu, along with her husband who is also a YouTuber, Gaurav Taneja, runs a YouTube channel that has over 3 million subscribers. The couple vlog their journey of being a working, hustling couple. "Flying Beast" as they call it, includes content from fitness to fashion, travel to lifestyle and also titbits of their personal life. With close to a million views that every video bags, Ritu says that they take time in their busy schedules to do the content creating and editing works. “When it comes to vlogging and being a content creator, Gaurav and I have divided our roles there – I look into content strategising and brand management while he creates and edits the content. We brainstorm and strategise together, but brand management is completely handled by me,” says Ritu. If the channel is super hit today, it is mainly due to the raw charm of Ritu and the unscripted videos presented by the couple.
“I think people connect with us on those grounds because nobody wakes up with perfect skin, full of makeup, and nobody looks like Katrina Kaif, you know. And if Gaurav and I are okay with each other, we don't really care about others' opinions. I think the best part is the realness of our videos.”, shares Captain Ritu Rathee Taneja.
Using The Fame For Social Cause:
Ritu and her husband have gained immense following and love on social media. This couple wanted to go a little further and make use of social media to work for a good cause. Thus, Ritu has initiated Rashbhari Chai, a play on the name of her daughter. This initiative is to raise funds for the daughters of street-side tea vendors. As a part of this, she organises meet-and-greets for fans where they can come and meet the duo, and while doing so, they are requested to buy tea from tea vendors and donate a sum of money thus raising funds for the daughters of street-side chai walas. “We had raised Rs 51,000 and we were planning to do this across the country, but COVID-19 forced us to cancel our plans. Once this is over, though, we’ll continue this work because it makes me feel peace and calm, that no matter how busy I am, we’re doing some good.", said Ritu.
A Proud Father's Adorable Daughter:
Ritu, who donned many hats and has been successfully accomplishing her roles of being a Captain, a wife, a vlogger and a mother says that she feels very proud when her father says, "My daughter is a Captain". She further says "I won't allow anybody to set limitations on what I can be."
Say WOW when you finish reading this, for, I know you will be awe-inspired and dumbstruck at how a young girl convinced her father with confidence and trust in herself to let her fly, finally making him proud and happy. Her story says that no matter what comes in your way to stop you if you have the zeal to fly, no one can cut your wings.
School Teacher Turned Farmer:
Trinity Saioo, a 53-year-old former teacher belongs to Mulieh village in the North-Eastern state of Meghalaya. She is a member of the Jaintia Hill Tribe. Her transition from being a teacher to a farmer happened in one of the moments of her realisation when she understood the brilliance of Lakadong turmeric. It all started in 2013 when the Spices Board of India visited her hamlet. The officers knew about Lakadong turmeric and it's benefits but have little knowledge about its cultivation and production process. They wished to bring Lakadong turmeric cultivation under a government scheme introducing grants for successful cultivation. Though Trinity hailed from a farmer's family, it is only then that she discovered how valuable Lakadong turmeric is and learned of its high demand. As she was a teacher, she could speak both English and Hindi fluently, which acted as an added advantage for her to deal with the government officials to facilitate the subsidy scheme. The Board registered her name along with seven others from her village under a subsidy scheme of three years which should be renewed every year.
Plunged Into Action:
Trinity set into action and visited the nearby villages to create awareness about the organic cultivation of turmeric. She then set to train women so as to enhance their skills as well as income. She formed a self-help group of women farmers and about 100 women work with her at Hills Curcumin & Spice Producer Society, an association formed by Trinity in Meghalaya. There, she serves as an Assistant General Secretary. The society has procured machines for the production and extraction process of turmeric. The society also provides money to the farmers to grow Lakadong turmeric. Trinity also managed to procure Lakadong seedlings for women, taught them how to grow them organically along with using safer alternatives to curb pests. The yield thus produced is processed and taken further. “We collect the raw products from the local farmers, and my workers and I clean the turmeric. As we have nearly 86 villages in Laskien block, I have appointed local collectors to get the farm products from the farmers,” Trinity shares. While the main team has about ten farmer leaders, it also has project officers and staff to take up the projects that come through agriculture and horticulture department. Trinity and her team supply close to 30 metric tonnes of Lakadong turmeric to various parts of India.
“With a firm network of SHGs in place to carry forward the agenda of women-led farming practices, I have pushed to avail the implementation of existing schemes and policies to strengthen the network of SHGs in the state,” she says. Trinity focuses mainly on Mulieh village and across the Laskien block in West Jaintia Hills district. She is now trying to extend her operations across Meghalaya with the support of the Hill Farmers Union. There are close to 25 core members in the society formed by Trinity, which is registered in the government database and has farmers from across Laskien Block, with more than 800 members. Trinity has empowered more than 800 women in her village with Lakadong Farming. Apart from exporting Lakadong Turmeric, her team is also prepping to export around three metric tonnes of dried ginger.
I am happy that whatever I am doing along with the support of the district and respective department authorities, I am able to provide a survival way to the rural women farmers. Even if I am running short of financials, I make sure that these women are paid in time, says Trinity.
Recognition:
In 2020, Trinity was honoured with the Padma Shri award for her contributions to increasing the income of the women farmers in Meghalaya. She was also praised as an ‘unsung hero’ by Union Minister Piyush Goyal. She was also honoured by the Balipara Foundation during the Annual Balipara Foundation Awards, 2020.
The Road Ahead:
Speaking about her dreams for the future, Trinity says, “I want Lakadong Turmeric to garner a greater international market so that the farmers are benefited and recognised at the same time. I also wish the products to be sold at a very decent price in the market,” She wants to pass on the knowledge and tradition of cultivating the Lakadong variety to the younger generations. “This is a solution to the kind of economic problems faced by my community members and I urge the women to take this up as an added income source that would pave the way for socio-economic development and upliftment of their community,” Trinity concludes.
Hats off to the woman who has been relentlessly trying to empower her region by drawing on the benefits of Lakadong turmeric cultivation. May her efforts bear fruits and may the legacy continue.
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