Page 62 - CIJ May 2025- Digital Edition

DIFFERENT STROKES

Hockey Legend Mervyn Fernandis

Where Every Move Matters

Much like hospitality and facility management professionals who work seamlessly — anticipating
needs, upholding standards and staying composed under pressure — Mervyn Fernandis carried these
very traits from the hockey field to the skies. His transition from a celebrated forward on the Indian
hockey team to a mentor and leader in Indian Airlines’ cabin crew training was not just a shift in role,
but a continuation of a discipline where every detail matters, every second counts, and composure is
key. Nandakumar Marar, Consulting Editor, Clean India Journal, shares with you the reflections of the
one-to-one interaction with the legend.

rmed with the insights
gained while excelling in
hockey, forward-line player
Mervyn Fernandis began his
Acareer with Indian Airlines
in 1979 as a sports recruit. He
was also posted later as a flight
crew member. His experience of
handling pressures on the field
prepared him for managing flight
crews as Mumbai Base In-charge
post-retirement, followed by
overseeing inflight crew training
at the Cabin Crew Training School
(CCTS) in Hyderabad from 2014
to 2017.
The focus at CCTS was on
discipline: punctuality, neat
dressing during training to simulate
post-training routines and learning
to deal with passengers firmly yet
courteously. Serving three years
as Principal at CCTS was both
an opportunity and a challenge
for the sporting achiever — to
apply his team sport experience
while shaping a diverse group
of trainees for passenger-facing
responsibilities.
“Timekeeping was the first thing
I focused on. In both hockey and
aviation, every minute matters. I
had to explain this to the flight crew
who were often late. In hockey,
if the coach said 3:30pm, I had to
be ready by 3:20. Similarly, for a Tennis doubles partners, Mervyn Fernandis
10:30am class at CCTS, trainees and Rafik Khotu, at a veterans doubles tournament
had to be seated by 10:20am.
62 MAY 2025•Clean India Journal•www.cleanindiajournal.com