Like many young kids, Anny Divya used to look up at the sky as a child and wish she could fly.
"I would look at the clouds and they were very fascinating to me," Divya tells SBS.
"I was like, 'can I be up in the sky feeling them'? And when I was growing up I realised only when you become a pilot you can fly, and you can be up there every day. So after that I really wanted to become a pilot."
Now, at 30 years of age, Divya has become the youngest ever female commander of a Boeing 777 plane - the world's largest twin jet.
It's a major achievement for the Air India pilot, who comes from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
Her career choice was unusual among her classmates, but she had the full support of her parents, who are very proud of her achievement.
"They are happy," she says.
"It is a lot of hard work, there are a lot of ups and downs. The initial part was quite tough because of the cultural background and language barriers I had, and family background and the financial part."
She enrolled in the flying school Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi when she was 17, earned a scholarship and completed her training when she was 19.
I could have got my commander of a 737, but I was really waiting to fly the big jets.
Air India employed her, where she continued to train and learnt to fly a Boeing 737. But she always had her sights set on the 777.
"My main goal was to become a pilot and to fly, but of course I was looking forward to getting the command sooner and to fly a big jet," she says.
"I could have got my commander of a 737, but I was really waiting to fly the big jets."
I'm getting a lot of questions from a lot of women all around the world. I really want all of them to come forward to achieve their dreams. They all should go for it.
A 737 carries about 180 passengers and can fly for 4-5 hours usually, whereas a 777 carries 350 passengers. The larger jet can also fly much longer distances.
Divya spends her work days flying from Delhi in India to destinations like Chicago, San Francisco and Washington D.C., and says while jet lag is the worst part of her job, traveling and learning about the world is the best part.
She is also keen to be a role model to other girls and women who dream of flying.
"I'm getting a lot of questions from a lot of women all around the world," Divya says.
"I really want all of them to come forward to achieve their dreams. They all should go for it."
She says while overall numbers of female pilots are low, they are increasing, and she believes India is leading the way.
"I'm with Air India and we have a lot of women pilots. I think it's about 13 per cent. But when compared to other parts of the world, I think it's higher," she says.
"All men and women are treated equally in our airline, which is really nice."
