{"id":19900,"date":"2017-05-19T08:20:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T22:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=19900"},"modified":"2024-09-18T15:57:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T05:57:58","slug":"pravin-intrepid-manager-gender-equality-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/pravin-intrepid-manager-gender-equality-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Pravin, the Intrepid Manager fighting for gender equality in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t one specific incident that sparked Pravin\u2019s tireless mission. There was no life-changing conversation that made him realize India\u2019s workplace diversity was an issue he could help\u00a0fix. In fact, for Intrepid\u2019s General Manager in India, the decision to help further\u00a0gender equality for tour leaders simply came about because of a feeling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really felt there was a need,\u201d he tells me over Skype. \u201cLast year I started to question \u2018are we doing enough?\u2019 We were waiting to break into this culture where females are pushed by families and relatives away from the travel industry. So, I decided we really needed to be proactive in recruiting them.\u201d<\/p>\n

It sounds simple, but the reality was anything but. And while significant issues around gender and equality in India still exist, Pravin knew he could make an important step in the right direction.<\/p>\n

As he explained, office roles get a ton of female candidates in India, but jobs requiring longer-term travel sure don\u2019t. \u201cWomen are encouraged to do a nine-to-five and then get back home to cook and look after the family.\u201d A keen photographer, often using Instagram to share his work<\/a><\/strong>, Pravin knew that many Indian women were<\/em> into travel, they just needed the opportunity. \u201cI follow them on Instagram, I know they\u2019re passionate,\u201d he insisted. \u201cSo, I created an Instagram post about travel and about the job. At the bottom of it I wrote \u2018inviting female candidates\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The first social media post Pravin made to help recruit female leaders<\/p><\/div>\n

This was one small step, the first of many. From there, Pravin created posters with a similar message. He printed them and took them to cafes and other places where he knew potential female candidates would hang out. He even went so far as to distribute posters to beauticians, to anyone at all who might have an interested friend or girlfriend.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, did it work?\u201d I asked Pravin, a little in awe. \u201cIt stirred a bit of a crowd on social media\u201d he admits, \u201cBut there were not a lot of applicants\u201d. Inspired by the strong females in his life, most notably his mother and wife, the Intrepid GM was not deterred. \u201cWe had to restart the mission.\u201d His explanation of how this went is something which should probably form the new dictionary definition of \u2018proactive\u2019:<\/p>\n

My colleagues and I literally called up potential female candidates who had shown even just a bit of interest. We chatted to them and asked, \u2018What is stopping you from doing this?\u2019 We needed to find out what the challenges to applying were. We even asked, \u2018Do you want us to talk to your parents?\u2019 We reassured them that it was a safe job, a good job, that if they had the right mindset, we would train them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Slowly but surely, Pravin\u2019s work began to pay off. Female leaders, once a rarity, became a little more commonplace. From just a handful, there’s now 11, and plans for many more. Today, Intrepid is the largest employer of female tour leaders in India.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Pravin with Sana, one of Intrepid’s female local leaders<\/p><\/div>\n

Not that it’s all been plain sailing. After all, hiring more female guides is one thing, but ensuring they can do their job smoothly is another. \u201cThe real challenge\u201d he told me, \u201cis to break into the cultural barrier where people only see male tour leaders.\u201d Suppliers in India make for one of the biggest difficulties in this arena. \u201cWe have a good selection of suppliers we trust, from hotels to drivers,\u201d says Pravin. \u201cBut some suppliers look at the female tour leaders and don\u2019t take them seriously. They think to themselves, \u2018This is not our culture, we don\u2019t listen to girls\u2019. So, the leaders have to be strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cites Sana as an example of a strong leader. You don\u2019t have to take his word for it \u2013 publications ranging from The Guardian<\/a><\/strong> to Newsweek<\/a><\/strong> to Forbes<\/a><\/strong> have covered her story, and the story she ultimately symbolizes: female empowerment in one incredibly patriarchal, traditional society.<\/p>\n

The woman herself? A 29-year-old female from a Muslim family in Mumbai, Sana struggled through obstacles aplenty to just get the job, let alone be classed as one of Intrepid\u2019s top leaders in India (read her story here<\/a><\/strong>). And it was Pravin who decided to send her to Melbourne for an awards night at the company headquarters. \u201cShe is brave I tell you!\u201d he exclaims. \u201cShe needed to represent India on the international stage. She needed to say \u2018I\u2019m female and I\u2019m from India\u2019. She was a great example. We said to potential female applicants, \u2018Look at Sana, you can be her\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Taj<\/a>

Sana at the Taj Mahal<\/p><\/div>\n

So, the outlook\u2019s good. Change is happening and Pravin is as focused as he is realistic. He knows how male-dominated touring still is but is adamant that female leaders are \u201cso refreshing\u201d, that they change the perspective of travelers and locals alike.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are challenges, but we will get there,\u201d he tells me. \u201cI want a 50:50 ratio.\u201d As does Intrepid more generally \u2013 the company is committed to gender balancing its trip leaders. And they’re getting there. Intrepid’s most recent recruitment drive in India received 40 female applicants, ones from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

“I believe things are changing here,” reflects Pravin. “It won’t be long before 50% of our leaders are\u00a0female.” This is a big deal. It’d make Intrepid the first ever travel company in India to achieve this.<\/p>\n

Inspired, I ask him how he plans to continue working\u00a0towards gender equality in India\u2019s travel industry more generally. I wait for some grand and dramatic plan, one that\u2019d be at odds with the thoughtful, reflective man I\u2019m speaking with. Instead, I\u2019m told in no uncertain terms that working towards gender equality is my job too. \u201cOur office in India can only reach so many people,\u201d Pravin tells me. \u201cOur story needs to be got out there. People read magazines and articles. The awareness drive can only happen through you and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

I finish our call and start drafting this blog post. What can you do? Well, give it a share. Demand more, challenge norms. Visit India with Intrepid and join us in making our world a more equal place.<\/p>\n

Our trips in India show you all the country’s beauty, from a local perspective. Join one of our female leaders there\u00a0now.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image credits (top to bottom): Lucy Piper, Pravin Tamang, Lucy Piper, Pravin Tamang<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I believe things are changing here”, reflects Pravin. “It won’t be long before 50% of our leaders are female.” This is a big deal. 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