Karma and Jet Airways

My friend and erstwhile colleague Govind reminded me of this.

In 1994, I was elated at being accepted by the super-prestigious Tata Administrative Service, right after my MBA.

I was even more thrilled when I was chosen to be a part of the Tata Singapore Airlines JV to start a world class airline in India - perhaps the most exciting thing happening in Indian aviation, if not Indian industry, at that time.

Very few people know that the original inspiration for Singapore Airlines was JRD Tata’s Air India – then amongst the best airlines in the world. The bureaucrats from Singapore came to learn from him and his company on how to build a world-class airline out of Singapore.

JRD, with his magnificent generosity, shared his mantras of service, humility and operational excellence with them, and Singapore Airlines (SIA) was born. Soon, it became the best airline in the world, bar none, and has kept its crown almost every year since then.

In 1994, they came back to build an airline with Tata – in a sense, repaying the debt they owed to its legendary founder. The largest and most respected industrial house in India was going to join hands with the best airline in the world, and create Tata Singapore Airlines.

No wonder everyone, including me, was giddy with excitement. I still remember my first project job, 25 years back, as if it was almost yesterday. I flew around the country 19 cities in 14 days with two hugely experienced SIA pilots. Once they overcame their initial astonishment and disappointment that I was not a pilot, in fact could not even fly a kite, they adopted me as their own as we went around the country surveying airports, airfields and technical gear.

Their flying experience, the knowledge they had about aircraft, their assessments of pilots and Dopplers and other radars was a learning experience. Their attention to detail was terrifying – I spent days find out costs and specs of wheelchairs which we would need to buy for differently-abled passengers. Along with the entire nation, I was convinced that we were building something special and expectantly looking forward to it.

All of us, except two men – the then Aviation Minister, and a certain Mr. Naresh Goyal. It was an open secret that the founder of fledgling Jet Airways saw Tata-SIA to be a mortal threat to his company, and that he did everything possible to stop it. Rules were changes, permissions were withdrawn, words taken back, as the Aviation Minister, his puppet, brazened it out.

The Tatas could not stoop to retaliate to this form of competition, they did not and would not ‘manage the environment. SIA went back to Singapore to continue building the best airline in the world, and Jet Airways spread its wings and became the leading airline in the country. Many of us, I remember, refused to fly Jet for years afterwards.

Now, 25 years later, the shoe is on the other foot – in fact, the first foot has ceased to exist. As Jet goes through its jet throes, and Mr. Goyal licks his wounds in obscurity, their single biggest hope has been the Tata Group. And, as it withdraws from its prized slots and premium routes, one of the airlines working overtime to fill those is Vistara – a JV between the Tata Group and SIA. Tata Singapore Airlines Version 2.0.

Time is not linear, explained our ancient sages, it is a circle. The core concept of Karma is that what goes around comes around. The axe forgets, but the tree remembers…

The story is not complete yet.

A few days back, I got this email in my Inbox:

Hi Jaspreet,

I am XXXX, retired SIA Captain.

Your post on 'Karma and Jet Airways' was forwarded to me by a former colleague who knew I was involved in the original TATA/SQ project. It was an exciting and truly unforgettable project!

A pity it didn't come to fruition then, but better late than never.

During our trek around India then, me and my colleague were warmly and competently chaperoned by a bright young man, fresh out of graduate school. Since then, I've always wondered what became of him and the wonderful opportunities that lay in his future.

Are you that gentleman? If you are, it would be nice to reconnect after 25 years and relive some experiences of that adventure. I look forward to hearing from you.

With best regards, XXXX

Karma truly rocks! I am now in touch with the Captain, and hope to see him soon in Singapore!