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Real Life Story of Captain Gopinath: ‘I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky.’ This is a song that perfectly fits the life of Captain Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar Gopinath. Captain Gopinath is the person who dared to dream and provide cheap air travel to Indians. Captain Gopinath, considered the father of low-cost airlines in India, was truly a ‘madman’ who not only dreamed of an affordable airline for all, but also ensured that tickets were available for thousands of passengers for just one rupee. Akshay Kumar’s film ‘Sirfira’ is the story of Captain Gopinath. The 2020 Tamil film Soorarai Pottru based on his story received seven National Film Awards in various categories.
Who is Captain Gopinath?
Captain Gopinath, the founder of Deccan Airlines, was a poor village boy. He was born in 1951 in a teacher’s family in Hassan district of Karnataka. He also spent eight years in the army and fought the Liberation War in 1971-72. At a time when air travel was a luxury, Captain Gopinath’s low-cost airline revolutionized the aviation industry in India. His airline later became the largest airline in the country.
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spent eight years in the army
His early education was done at home by his father. He took admission in Kannada medium school in fifth grade. In 1962, when Gopinath was 11 years old, he passed the entrance exam and took admission in Bijpur Sainik School. School education and training helped Gopinath to pass the NDA exam. After spending three years at the Indian Military Academy Dehradun, Gopinath became an officer. Gopinath participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971-1972. He spent eight years in the army and retired from the post of Captain at the age of 28. Because he felt that he was tied to the army and he wanted to do something different.
Sold milk, raised chickens…
As Captain Gopinath writes in his autobiography ‘Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey’, “I was always searching and always striving. In an effort to make a living and support my family, I found myself in one new job after another. Because I was unaware of myself.” Captain Gopinath raised cattle to sell milk, raised poultry, reared silkworms, then became a motorcycle dealer and the owner of Udupi Restaurant, a stock broker, an irrigation equipment dealer, an agricultural consultant, a politician and finally the owner of an airline. He also mentions in his autobiography, “Struggling, falling, getting up, falling, getting up again and flying.”
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Who got the inspiration from
According to the foreword written by former President APJ Abdul Kalam for Captain Gopinath’s autobiography ‘Simply Fly’, Gopinath was inspired by the story of an orphaned Vietnamese girl who started flying helicopters and founded a low-cost airline to help rebuild her country after the 1969-75 Vietnam War. According to a report in the Indian Express, in one of his interviews, Gopinath revealed his ideal behind setting up his airline. He said, “It is not the elite class that I consider my customer. It is the women who clean my office, autorickshaw drivers and others whom we want to serve. We want them to dream that they too can travel by air, and we want to make that dream come true.”
a dream come true with hard work
Captain Gopinath’s journey was full of hurdles. However, his never-say-die attitude and constant hard work made his dream come true. Captain Gopinath started his airline on 25 August 2003 with a flight to Hubli. The airline attracted the middle class due to its low fares and wide network. Deccan Airlines used many such methods in its operations that could also earn profit. In 2007, with a 42 percent increase in passengers, it became the second largest airline in India. Between 2005 and 2007, many other low-cost airlines entered the Indian market – SpiceJet, GoAir, Indigo and JetLite.
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a person who never gives up
These events and the autobiography ‘Simply Fly’ inspired film producer Sudha Kongara to make a film in Tamil called Soorarai Pottru. When asked why she decided to make a film on Captain Gopinath, Sudha Kongara said in an interview, “This is a person who never gives up. For ten years in a row, this man keeps visiting government offices to get his license. Everyone advises him that you just have to give a bribe and the work will be done. He said, “I will not give a bribe, because then I will not be able to see my face.” Now ‘Sirfira’ made in Hindi will hit the theaters on Friday, June 12. Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Seema Biswas and Paresh Rawal are in the lead roles in this film.
Tags: Airlines News, Akshay Kumar, akshay kumar movies, tamil movies
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 12, 2024, 13:20 IST
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