Turbulence in air

Some believe that the job of a flight attendant is a glamorous  one. The chance to travel around the world, visit new places and meet people from different cultures can perhaps be quite exciting. But with many incidences of passengers  misbehaving with flight attendants, the profession has a dark side too.

The recent report of a 19-year-old engineering student of Bengaluru assaulting an air hostess  in an Indigo flight is garnering a lot of attention and youngsters in the city
are voicing out their opinion.

Vasundhara Agarwal, an entrepreneur, opines, "It is not too hard to respect an individual and one needs to learn that. It's high time people start respecting women regardless of their job. The increasing incidences of sexual harassment at workplaces against women is indeed a cause for concern."

She points out that being in the hospitality industry, it is a flight attendant's  job to be polite to passengers. But this should not be taken for granted.

"Generally, if a person is getting uncomfortable with your actions or conversation, then you should step back. One should not take  a 'no' to their heart. Respect the other person's wishes rather than seeing it as an insult to you. It is terrible to see a youngster doing something like this. Students should have a sense of responsibility towards the society and set a good example for the future generations," she opines.  

It is a known fact that one's way of life depends primarily on the environment he or she grows up.

Emphasising on this, Dr Ravi Prakash, a psychiatrist, says, "This kind of behaviour is an individualistic trait. There can be many factors that influence  one's actions. One of the major factors is the environment the individual is growing up in, during his personality development years."  

He adds, "Perception of the job also has a role to play. Men somehow get an idea that a profession like this will make people servile. This is associated with any job in the hospitality industry."  

With many such events happening around the country, one thing that is clear is that the outlook towards women is still unfavourable, points out Ajay Simha, a finance manager.

"The fact that there are no stringent laws for crimes like this is one of the reasons why there is no fear among people. This boy should be punished and also admitted into a rehabilitation centre. There should be stricter laws for such actions," he says.  

He also highlights that when one commits a crime, the society instantly points a finger at their family, failing to see that parents always try to impart good values to their children.

What people need to understand is that rather than playing the blame game, a change should be made at an individual level.  And for this, we all need to step forward and do our bit for a safe world for women.