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

पत्थरों के इस शहर में,
इंसान ढूँढ़ते हैं.
अरमानों की गलियों में,सुकून तलाशते हैं,
अजनबी बने उसकी गलियों में भटकते हैं,
,और खुद को उसकी चाहतों में ढूँढ़ते हैं

साउथ अफ्रीका..nostalgia

Varun my elder son and Poonam are in South Africa for a three week holiday
Varun studied in Durban and Johanneburg for about 4 years and also worked there.So he is showing all the places to Poonam

I am talking to him everyday on the phone and as and when he tells me what he did in South Africa it brings back nostalgic memories of the good times we spent there from 1993 to 1997

It was a challenge to be posted there as we had to start from the scratch..setting up the office,looking for office space,recruiting staff,developing the route,upgrading the aircraft from a A310 to a daily 747 service,welcoming Inder Gujral the first Indian PM to independent South Africa,one to one meeting with charismatic Mandela...the list can go on

But the memoirs of Durban where I was posted will not be complete without mentioning the good friends we made...Sharma Maharaj (now Late)and family,Rabi and Vijay and the children,Suresh and jane and family,Shirley naidoo of Hair sensations (I had rechrishened her shop as HAIR TRANSFORMATIONS after seeing her weave magic with the peoples hair),Latha Reddy Consul general India in Durban,Vinay and Pooja,Anil and Anu,Skand and Kusum Tayal (all from Indian Consulate)Anoop and Atula from Hindustan Levers........and so on and so forth.Sarita
and Vivek (still in SA),Pramod and Sheela Khandelwal(now in Indore),Sharmas (in NOIDA)
Not to forget Romi and Rajendra Chetty,Mamoo and devi rajab who got Varun admission in the University of Westville ,Yogin Devan who gave Varun his first journalistic break.

I got hooked on to South African wines ,enjoyed the Brai(equivalent of Barbeque),learnt how to gamble and lose,bet on horse racing attend Chefs Lunches in the Hotel Kitchen

Over a period of 4 years I recruited about 12 to 15 staff and the culmination was when about 5 of the staff who had left AI for grrener pastures came to attend a farewell dinner which I hosted for my staff.I can never forget Sonal Soni nee gandhi (great granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi)my first assistnat in Durban,Kavenna pather,Kalpita

Such are the ties ,the love and affection that we got there that I often prayed that I be demoted in AI and sent back to South Africa.

Buth then if wishes were horses angels would fly

Thank you Varun and Poonam for taking us back to South Africa and relive those memories through your eyes..God Bless you both