ALLAHABAD: Her doctor father wanted Marya Zuberi to follow his profession, but she was determined to become a pilot. On Thursday, when her ill-fated aircraft reportedly developed mechanical snag, she exhibited an exemplary dedication to profession and presence of mind, steering the plane out of dense residential areas of Ghatkopar before it crashed near a construction site, thus saving many more lives.In fact, former aviation minister Praful Patel tweeted his tribute to her: “Salute to the pilot who showed the presence of mind to avoid a big mishap, saving many lives at the cost of her own life.” (sic)In Allahabad, a pall of gloom descended on the Rani Mandi area of the Sangam City when news about the tragic death of Zuberi. Father Dr Iqbal Hasan Zuberi and mother Farida Zuberi were inconsolable and too shocked to speak.“Parents came to know about Maria’s death when their granddaughter called them at around 3 pm,” said Parvez Akhtar Ansari, Zuberis’ neighbour and corporator of Rani Mandi area, leading scores of pepole from the colony and adjoining areas consoling the grieving parents.Marya’s father runs his clinic in Mauaima area of Allahabad for the past many years and he wanted to see his daughter become a doctor, too. But Marya had a dream to become a pilot since childhood, says another neighbour.“About 20 days back, she had come to stay with her parents for a couple of days. On Wednesday, she called them up to inform that her daughter had got very good marks in the high school examinations and invited her mother to Mumbai,” he adds.Marya was married for the past 16 years and was staying in Mumbai along with her husband and daughter. Before joing theThe family had left the city for Lucknow late on Thursday evening and would be catching a flight for Mumbai on Friday morning.

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