Pioneer of low-cost aviation in India, Captain Gopinath's autobiography Simply Fly is an insightful read for anybody who isn't afraid to aspire skyward
Pioneer of low-cost aviation in India, Captain Gopinath's autobiography Simply Fly is an insightful read for anybody who isn't afraid to aspire skyward
Father's Day is being celebrated tomorrow. Special occasion or otherwise, Captain Gopinath reserves the highest praise for his father. Speaking to The Guide en route to Mumbai for an event related to his bestselling book, he reminisces, "My father was a poor teacher who sent me to school in Std V; prior to which he taught me at home. He felt school was a jail." The captain recounts what he terms as "spiritual experiences", when father and son spent hours swimming at the village river, walking through paddy fields explaining the values of frugal living, hard work and equality. Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi's poetry and readings ensured his dreams and visions had a solid foundation. "We were conscious that the family was short of money, yet our lives were filled with sunshine." 
FROM PADDY FIELDS TO THE FRONTLINE
The schoolteacher's son was to chart new frontiers. He joined the Sainik School in Bijapur, moved on to the NDA and eventually graduated from IIMA in Dehradun. "Initially, there was a conscious separation because I was a villager who wasn't fluent in English. By the time I was at NDA, it was buried. I knew I was more knowledgeable and once I grew confident in English, it was smooth. Besides my father, had whetted my appetite for the greatsu00a0-- Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Melville, Steinbeck." Despite his admiration for the Indian Army: "It keeps our country together and is apolitical", he quit, after eight years of service. "I fought the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, travelled across India; I wanted to give back. He returned to his village, converted barren land to a farm for ecologically sustainable silkworm rearing. It was followed by several successful ventures, until the big idea surfaced.
RISE OF THE AVIATOR
The captain's move to Bangalore for his daughters' education served a watershed moment. He renewed ties with his Army buddiesu00a0-- Captain Sam, Captain Jayanth and Captain Vishnu and started Deccan Aviation, a helicopter service. Soon, this Dial-A-Chopper facility was the preferred choice for politicians, social activists and anybody who had the money to fly. Deccan Aviation was on the threshold of bigger things. "Once, while flying the Goa-Mangalore-Bangalore route, a revelation dawned upon me. I noticed billions of TV antennas jutting out from the roofs of hutments. I realised the immense buying power of these people; they could afford everything except an air ticket," he recounts. The rest is Indian aviation history.
Two years ago, Captain Gopinath set up Deccan 360, with Rs 2.5 crore of his personal cash after selling his low-cost airline Air Deccan to Dr Vijay Mallya. Today, Deccan owns eight aircraft and transports express and normal cargo to about 50 cities. It also has a fleet of 1,000 branded vehicles for its economy cargo sector.
Throughout our chat, Captain Gopinath's belief in the enterprising Indian middle class, the "common man" immortalised as Air Deccan's mascot, cannot be missed. "The Indian market is huge, vibrant and ready to soar. Remember, the sky's the limit." Touche.
POLITICKING TALES
>> Restless to reach an election rally, Maharashtra politician Chhagan Bhujbal insisted that his helicopter pilot land despite bad weather. A detour had to be taken, which miffed the politician further. Vexed by his constant meddling, the pilot turned around and asked if Bhujbal preferred to trade places with him. It silenced the politician.
>> An order for 60 Airbuses to be passed. A middleman politician warned him that unless money exchanged hands, the deal would never be passed. "I didn't sleep that night and decided to meet the then Commerce Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi. I appealed to him to set up local RBI branches to aid clearances. Smelling a rat, he asked me point blank about my problem. I narrated my experience. The Minister replied, "If you pay me Re 1, the deal is off." By the time I returned to Bangalore, my order was cleared."
Simply Fly, Captain Gopinath, Collins Business, Rs 499. Available at leading bookstores.
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