Start of my AI journey

Though I joined AI on 15 Jan 1973 ,my tryst with the aviation industry started way back in he summer of 1956


During our summer holidays we decided to spend some time with our cousins at our maternal
uncles house in Moti Bagh

The Delhi airport ,hitherto functional from Safdarjung, had just moved to Palam

One fine morning me and the other five cousins decided to go to palam airport for our morning walk 

We asked our mamji how far was Palam Airport

He just gestured and muttered something like....not too far..ज्यादा दूर नहीं है 

Armed with this information we started out at approximately six in the morning and ambled along

However the palam airport was nowhere in sight

We trudged along fresh with the morning energy and finally around 8 am. reached Palam airport

 unlike today, there were no strict security regulations and we could manage to go right upto the tarmac only a few yards away from the aeroplane parked majestically on the tarmac

I don't remember what aircraft it was ,but presume it was an Indian Airlines aircraft

We were overawed with the spectacle as for most of us it was a first sight of a LIVE aircraft

We stood there for an unknown length of time and once we were done moved inside the building

The first thing I  did was to call my mother in Kamla Nagar from the PCO.I still remember the number 24905

When I told her excited where we were, her words to me were..ध्यान से रहना॥ कहीं हवाई जहाज के नीचे मत आ  जाना and I  told her we would be careful

After the initial euphoria, now was the time to go back. All tired and the energy having dissipated in the summer heat we started walking back

Every now and then we would look over our shoulders to see if any one could give us a lift back to Motibagh

However it was not to be

Then we found a half full packet of PASSING SHOW Cigarettes on the road side

We picked it up ,hoping to use it to lure someone to give us a lift

We saw someone on a Lambretta scooter and waved the packet at him

He stopped and and we requested him for a lift

He agreed and all six of us jumped on to his scooter. He was mad and almost threw us off before driving off

After about fifteen minutes we saw a cyclist who was kind enough to stop

After hearing our ordeal he agreed to give a lift to my cousin

He went home with him, picked up a cycle and did a relay till we were all back home tired but happy with the experience

This was my first brush with aviation

Unknown to me I would make the aviation industry as my career in the years to come