Re Kanishka Crash

The day is etched in my memory even after 35 years
I was incharge of the Baggage Services unit at IGI airport
My first foreign posting to Muscat Oman as Airport Manager had just been announced
The AI staff college had organized a 5 day orientation program at Mumbai ,at that time called Bombay
I was to travel to Mumbai for the same on that fateful day by Indian airlines flight at 5 pm
I reached the airport at 3.30pm n sent up to my office on the mezzanine floor leading to the Chefair Restaurant
AN Sharma who was on shift duty in Baggage service or  the LL unit met me
His face was from as he told me that 184 had crashed
My first thought and reaction was that it was the  Indian Airlines domestic flight between Delhi n Mumbai as IC operated with that flight no also
The second thought was that my flight to BOM was cancelled because of this
Not even in my wildest dreams did it occur to me that it was  our very own AI 184
Being  a Sunday,it was  a split shift in Traffic with NO duty officer
In those days there were NO flights in the afternoon on Sundays and the first flight was AI 102 arriving just around midnight
I rang up Mr. B S Phool( now deceased) and apprised him if the situation
His instructions were to cancel my visit to Mumbai n take over the shift
A make shift desk for Passengers queries was set up at the airport
Airport authority of India requested to beef up security and passenger manifest were printed n copies made from the incoming telexes
By then it was 9.30 pm
Gradually the word spread about the tragedy n there wasx a pall of gloom all over
The first relatives of the passengers on the ill fated flight entered the airport around 9.40 pm
I was standing behind the enquiry counter
The TV teams were all there
He caught ke by my collar n literally lifted my off the ground
His first words were .in Hindi were ...you mo..... fuck....,why do u operate if you don't know how to operate flights
Then he broke down
Security n other staff helped him with water n he sat down with his head in his hands, crestfallen,trying to adjust to the reality that his beloved family members were no more
After that there was a steady stream of passenger relatives coming in,asking us to confirm n reconfirm of their relatives were on the I'll fated flights
Finally as the hectic activity gradually ebbed away around 3 am,the shock sank in n the whole body just convulsed n i also broke down as if sharing the grief of the relatives
In the thick of things n activity at the airport I did not even inform my family that I was no longer going to Mumbai
My niece saw the direct coverage on TV and saw me being abused n hauled up by the relatives
She rang up my wife n told her what had happened
I finally returned home in the wee hours of the morning,shaken n mentally,emotionally bruised with the entire incident

RIP Shanu Mukherjee

The year was  1996
I was posted in South Africa as Manager Natal,Durban South Africa
I was in the zone of consideration to Commercial Manager and had flown in from Durban with my colleague the late Poornima Hemmadi from Capetown
The interview was slotted at 10 am but since we were arriving into BOM after an overnight flight at 05.30 am we had requested for our interview to be shifted to 4 pm
On my way to Nariman Point from the Juhu Centaur the driver fell off the moving Taxi near Juhu Chowpatti

YES..THE DRIVER FELL OFF THE MOVING TAXI
I was lucky to have the presence of mind to get up from the back seat, control the steering and bring the Taxi to a halt without any damage..
Needless to mention I was left shocked .Tis incident resulted in my reaching Nariman Point 15 minutes late

Shanu as Dy CD was heading the interview panel. The first question was as to why I was late and had kept the interview panel waiting beyond 4 pm.
When I narrated the incident to them they just looked at me with disbelief
The interview was over as it was a mere formality. Both the panel and me knew that I was NOT going to get it as I was too junior in the list.

Fast Forward to 2000/2001
Michael Mascarenhas  the then MD reduced the retirement age from 60 to 58.This resulted in my being posted as Commercial Manager Karnataka Bangalore(Yes I had been promoted as Commercial manager by then) as it was then known (Now Bengaluru...BLR)

One of the first assignments was to organize the Air India Dinner on the occasion of the Annual  Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) convention being held in BLR

Shanu Mukherjee now the Commercial Director was the host.He flew in on the eve of the dinner into BLR from Delhi and I met him at the airport.
After the usual pleasantries he asked me about what actually happened way back in 1996 when I had come for the interview
I narrated the whole incident verbatim to him
He laughed and said ..since the sequence of the incident is the same as mentioned by you way back in 1996,I now believe you.At that time it appeared as an excuse.
The next morning I had to take him to the Taj Hotel to inaugurate a travel exhibition as a start of the TAAI Convention.
I was barely a month old in BLR.
I escorted him to the Taj Hotel surprised to find that there was no sign of any activity at the Hotel.
On enquiring around I was told that there were in fact TWO Taj Hotels in BLR and apparently I was at the wrong Taj
We immediately rushed to the correct venue just in time for him to inaugurate the exhibition..
He merely laughed off the lapse and did not hold it against me
I had interacted with him on various occasions
- In Durban in 1994 when he had come there as Head of Inflight Services to finalize the catering Agreement..He was there on his Birthday 01 Jan 1994. Knowing his liking for Japanese food..I took him to the best and the ONLY Japanese Restaurant in Durban..His repsonse..He was yet to have more authentic japanese food outside Japan..I remember he even taught me hw to use the chopsticks
- In Mumbai when he handed over to V K Verma as Commercial Director

Even after retirement he was empanelled by AI as a member of a committee set up to suggest ways and means of improving AI revnues.As was his wont he solicited suggestions from retiree colleagues amongst others for suggestions and some of these were incorporated by him in his report

He was an early riser and I used to see him often on messenger or FB where he used to be chatting with his children in the USA
We often exchanged pleasantries at that time

He was a regular at all the Air India Retiree functions and mingled happily with all
In the last few years he was undergoing regular dialysis but never lost his sense of humour despite his ill helath

A noble soul a down to earth human being,he lived his life to the fullest
May he RIP an keep guiding all us mortals form the heavens above

RIP Arun Jaitley

I interacted with him during my short stint at LHR

He was a minister in the Vajpayee Govt then n in  transit to ZRH/GVA over London

The layover was about 2 hours

During the layover in the VIP lounge after the initial courtesies n formalities I told him that though I was referring to him as SIR,HE  should refer to me as SIR

He asked me why

I told him I was 5 to 6 years his Senior at St.Xaviers Delhi

Moreover he n my BIL had fought the ABVP elections together 

Both he n my BIL went underground together for 6 months during the Emergency

He immediately recalled these instances n mentioned that he had even attended my wedding

After that we sorta became friends

He put his hands on my shoulder n we talked about school days

Apparently this gesture did not go down well with the powers that be n aye was told NOT to meet him in transit on his return 2 days later

A noble soul

May he RIP

October is Here

October is here.
As he monsoons recede and give way Autumn and  better weather, the spirits also soar
Now one can sit on the terrace and enjoy the morning cuppa of tea without sweating in the earlier hot and humid weather
The month has always been special to me.For one I was born in Oct and also found my soulmate in Oct when I got married way back in 1974.
Over a period of the past 68 odd years I have had various birthday celebrations,with family,friends at different places all over the world where I had been posted with Air India during my career spanning 35 years
I would like to share one such celebration today
I was posted as Manager Natal,Durban South Africa from 1993 to 1997.The Miss World contest was held on 19 Nov 1994 in Sun City South Africa on the outskirts of Johannesburg .Aishwarya Rai aged 21  was representing India at this event.
As part of the pre function preparations  all participants were at the Wild Coast Sun on the outskirts of Durban for a weekend on 26 and 27 Oct .The resort, a part of the Sun International Chain,is a 4 hour drive from Durban.
At that time Casinos and gambling was not allowed in South Africa and hence these casinos and resorts were set up outside South Africa and within drivable distances from the major cities like Durban,Johannesburg and Capetown

Air India had sponsored the opening of a  new Indian Restaurant ,opening  at the resort and as was fitting Aishwarya was to inaugurate the same
AI was a part of the proposed opening and had given away free tickets through a lucky draw. As Manager of AI I was present at the opening .I along with my wife had the opportunity to interact with Aishwarya as she along with the other contestants were staying at the resort as guests of Sun International. Sun International was the major sponsor of the event and the main function was being held at their resort in Sun City

Aishwarya one must confess was an ethereal beauty and carried herself elegantly .All types of dresses suited her .Though poised and confident outwardly.one could sense her nervousness when one spoke to her at a personal level/She was of course happy to see an Indian Family and interact with us

At the dinner on 26th Oct ,a Saturday,Aishwarya walked up to a Lady journalist and pecked ger on the cheek wishing her a happy birthday on 27th Oct .We were also on the same table and I loudly told her that since it was also my birthday on 27th Oct I also deserved the same

However she shrugged it off calling it a farce

Next day my friends from Durban had arranged a surprise Champagne Breakfast for me
As I cut the cake and all present burst out in  Happy birthday song,I looked at Aishwarya,who was also present there, reminding her of last nights conversation.She simply grinned and looked away sheepishly.This was at a function to honour Amitabh Bachchan by the British High Commission.
I happened to get a few moments with all the three Bachchans .I reminded Amitabh our two meetings in Durban during my stay .He was very polite and graceful .However when I reminded Aishwarya about our meeting in Durban and how she was nervous before the event, she skirted the conversation.
So much for personalities

In conclusion would like to wish all of you a happy Diwali and hope the festive season brings fulfillment of your dreams. peace and happiness

Stay safe and stay happy
.

start of my AI journey....a prelude

Aye retired from Air India on 31 Oct 2008 after 35 years and 9 months of service. My last posting was in Mumbai as Executive Director Cargo I joined Air India in Delhi in 1973 and travelled all over the world with AI both for business and pleasure Out of a total of 35 years of service I spent 12 years abroad in various stints at Muscat (Oman),Durban(South Africa),London (UK)and New York (USA),Paris(France) In addition I spent time in Mumbai and Bengaluru On the domestic front. With this brief background....on with the start of my journey in Air India My first memory of Air Travel dates back to mid fifties when my father,a government contractor had taken up construction assignments in Agartala We used to study in Delhi and visit him during our summer holiday In those days the quickest way to get to Agartala was by train from Delhi to Calcutta(Now Kolkatta) and then fly from there to Agartala by Indian Airlines in a Dakota aircraft over Now Bangla Desh (earlier East Pakistan) We used to stay overnight at the Railway Station in Kolkatta before taking the early morning flight to Agartala The evening in Kolkatta used to for be spent Shopping in the new Market,stick jaws at Firpos n shoes from JennKi...a Chinese shop.
Little did I know that I will join the airline industry and be a part of the Indian Aviation for over 35 years..More of that  later

For a looonnnng time, even before my retirement from Air India in 2008 after almost 36 years of service, I always cherished the dream of travelling the world.

Thanks to Air India the same was fulfilled. albeit partially, during my employment with Air India as I had the pleasure of being posted to various cities in the world. My assignments took me to Muscat(Oman),Paris(France).Durban(South Africa),London(UK) and New York(USA)
In addition I was privileged to having been posted in Bengaluru (Karnataka India ) and Mumbai (Mahrashtra)
All these assignments helped me to traverse the world, gain a better understanding of the diverse cultures. explore new cities, meet new people and forge long lasting friendships.
Still the hunger for travel was never satiated and I looked for every opportunity to visit new world cities as well as different parts of India.
I was able to visit Burkinafaso in Africa..A French capital which had to be approached through Paris only with an extended layover in the city. This was the only feasible routing which took more than 16 hours of flight time and almost 26 hours of total time. If only there was better connectivity the same could have been accomplished in less than 12 hours and at a cheaper cost
My journeys also took me to Sydney, Manila, Dubai ,Kuala Lumpur,Ipoh(Malaysia),Singapore,Bangkok,Hongkong.Kobe,Tokyo,Osaka,St Petersburg (Russia).Manchester (UK),Maui (Hawaii),Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia),Frankfurt, Chicago, Toronto..just to name a few….

I have traversed t India from North to the South and East to the West visiting tourist spots and religious places
While each and every place had its own uniqueness be it culture, language, cuisine, unity in diversity,the experience on our visit to Alaska on a seven day sea cruise outshines everything..may be because it is the latest ,and hence most fresh in our minds
For various reasons I did not keep a chronicle of my visits to various cities, places now I am attempting to do so (starting with Alaska) trip.. so that I am able to reach out to friends and family and give them an insight of what we saw and what they can expect in case they do undertake such a journey.

(To be continued)……….

माय पोएट्री

jab paimano ke saath saath dil bhi toot jaate hai
nashe sharaab ke aksar utar jaate hain
par hosh aane nahin deta gar ho nasha shabaab ka
gar utar jaaye yeh toh yaad aata hai saath phir sharaab ka


zakhm chipane mein ham mahir the
jab talak unse na the mile