Idukki: The women of the Chaitanya Kudumbashree unit in Kollappuzha were overwhelmed with excitement as they boarded an aircraft for the first time in their lives. For years, they had watched tiny planes streak across the sky, pointing them out to their children and grandchildren, never imagining that they would one day be among the passengers.

Though some had quietly nurtured the wish to fly, the dream had long been set aside amid the responsibilities of raising families and striving to make ends meet. That changed on Tuesday, when Usha Balachandran, Daisy Baby, Aji Sali, Sindhu Suresh, Usha Chandran, Jaya Sudhan, PV Valsa and Usha Soman took an IndiGo flight from Kochi to Kozhikode.

The women pooled their modest savings from the Kudumbashree unit to buy the air tickets, turning a long-cherished aspiration into reality.

Calling the journey unforgettable, they said they only wished they had done it earlier. Their experience stands as a reminder that the days when women confined their dreams to the four walls of their homes are steadily fading, as many now choose to reclaim aspirations once postponed by circumstance.