On The Wings Of a Dream

From cocoons to the cockpit, Capt. G R Gopinath - MD of Air Deccan - has blazed a trail, which few would dare to tread. The path to success is evident as he reveals his personal side to Vyas Sivanand

Even in broad daylight, there was something unnerving about Gorur, a remote village in Karnataka. Its fading elegance and brooding, musty gloom seeped through every patch of land. It was the kind of place where there were no songbirds and no vibrant breeze billowing through the paddy fields; it was a place where every rattling pipe showed signs of extreme grief. Then Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar Gopinath landed there.

"There was a dam which was being built across the river Hemavati that would have completely submerged the village. As compensation, the government allotted the villagers a piece of barren land at a place called Javagal. That was when I reached my village with about Rs 6,000 in my pocket. Having an army background, I had seen war; I had seen the tough life in tough places and wanted to start afresh. I knew it would be an arduous journey but when I saw the land allotted to us with shrubs and cacti all around, it justified my presence there.I knew I was there for a reason," avers Captain Gopinath.

Silk Route

Endurance paid and the captain won the prestigious Rolex International Award for Enterprise in 1996 for breaking new ground with the project 'Ecological Silk Farming to Improve Living Standards'. A successful sericulturist, he was renowned for his work on productive eco-friendly practices along with water conservation. "The low-cost formula had its roots when I was in the sericulture business. I was doing a lot of eco-friendly experiments with crops which made me realise that anything ecologically sound would be low cost. That idea stayed," he says.

After having met with success by embracing challenge, he decided to take the path where myth meets reality. It was a decision where long-held beliefs and prejudices, both ancient and contemporary, were going to change a country that was hungry for growth. He wanted to change India's perception by building a completely new business module, which no one had dared to create. "There was this energy within me that was more important than capital and there was a dream which gave me wings," he adds.

He eventually moved to Bangalore to secure his children's education and in a moment of epiphany, he found a promising module in the heli-charter business over a game of squash with his old army friend. The idea took shape and he launched Deccan Aviation. "There was nobody at that time who was offering customer-dedicated helicopter services. I looked at this country's potential and realised that I was staring at a viable business proposition, which everybody saw but nobody realised. Before me was a veritable goldmine. The dream began with the heli service and grew to become Air Deccan, because I could see through the perception barrier, which held the needs of a billion people. I was no longer looking at a billion hungry people; I was looking at a billion hungry consumers. India had changed," he says. Thus, Air Deccan was formed as a unit of Deccan Aviation Private Limited and began its operations in August 2003.

Udipi Style

Gopinath is now on a mission to demystify and provide reliable low cost air travel to the common man and feels proud to term the airline 'The Udipi Hotel of the Airline Industry'. It was the first airline in India to link second rung cities like Coimbatore, Hubli, Madurai and Visakhapatnam to the metros and main cities.

He says, "Our vision is to provide reliable, low cost air travel to the common man by constantly driving down the fares. We want to make every Indian fly at least once in their lifetime. Hence, our focus is on connecting India at the lowest fare, flying to hitherto unconnected markets like Kanpur, Dehradun, Belgaum, Hubli, Kolhapur, Vijaywada, and many more."

In 2005, Air Deccan launched R K Laxman's 'Common Man' as its brand ambassador. The company also revolutionised air travel when it announced tickets at Rs 1 plus taxes. Gopinath says, "An air ticket for Re 1 plus taxes was our promise to the Indians and every release of new set of tickets brings us closer to the dream of 'empowering every Indian to fly'.

In Leisure

For a man who eliminated the impossible through hard work, the truth remains that there is a thin line between business and leisure. Having travelled extensively around the world, Gopinath finds Italy one of the most exciting countries. He reasons out by saying, "You go to small villages in Italy, and every aspect of the place is protected since 600 odd-years. The houses, the roads, the village churches, everything is so well preserved in rural Italy. It is amongst the most beautiful countries that I have been to and it always fascinates me."

Other places in his likeable radar include South Africa, Vietnam and China, even though he strongly disagrees with China's strategy of destroying ecology to transform itself. In India, he likes to visit Rajasthan and the hills of Himachal and even Sikkim. "We are in a mode where we are ruining the beauty of our villages by putting concrete. We should nurture our culture and let rural architecture remain. India is changing and so is its tourism potential. I think one concept which will change the entire face of tourism in the country is the Bed & Breakfast concept, where every home in a village is invited to host guests. If government supports, this concept will drive our economy through tourism." he exclaims.

He appreciates the service of Oriental Airlines and strongly feels that any airline from the East is better in comparison than those from the West. He holds the same belief for hotels as well. His philosophy in life is to live with intensity and passion, while constantly looking for opportunities to make a positive change in the way the world perceives life. A staunch family man, he reiterates that it is family and friends who at the end of it all, make a difference.