Air India: Crew recall days when Maharaja was the pride of the nation

On the ninth floor of a tower block in Malabar Hill the view is almost cinematic We are sitting beside veteran pilot Captain CRS Rao and as we hear the nonagenarian regale us with stories from his rusty yet incisive memory we cannot ignore the irony Overlooking us in the far distance beyond the steely grey Arabian Sea is the Air India building the institution where Rao worked for over 30 years before hanging up his hat in 1985 Having trained hundreds of pilots as director of training the man whom Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata alias JRD most trusted when laying the foundation for a supreme airline still gets emotional when reminiscing about his days in the cockpit Its but natural that the current state of disrepair that AI finds itself in makes Rao anxiousFormer flight attendant Sheela Karunakaran right and other crew membersWith the government giving its nod to the airlines disinvestment theres a faint glimmer of hope that its fortunes will take a turn for the better But in this period of chaos AIs most faithful squad would rather take comfort in the Golden Era of The Maharaja when JRDs labour of love was among the frontrunners in the airline industryCapt CRS Rao says that when he flew the Jumbo aircraft which had just been included in the Air India fleet from America to India an elephant greeted him at the Chennai airport where he landed PicSameer AbediJRD the architect of AICaptain Jag Mohan Nath 87 the only living Indian Air Force veteran to be decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra twice abruptly ended his stint in the armed services to join Air India in February 1969 It wasnt unusual for IAF pilots to trade the fighter planes for commercial flights he tells usCaptain Jag Mohan Nath 87 the only living Indian Air Force veteran to be decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra twice seen in the Air India cockpit with his grandson in the late 80sBut barely had the former IAF aerial reconnaissance photographer started flying he found himself at the heart of a major pilot strike when AI decided to end the threeyear permanent postings for pilots in London Perth and Hong Kong JRD who helmed AI then called upon the IAF contingent of pilots to discuss the matter It is during this meeting that Nath had his first encounter with JRD When the Tata head probed him for suggestions Nath didnt hold back Sir this strike is being held because of you Nath dared Shocked by his defiance some of the seniors in the room tried to hush him up But JRD encouraged Nath to continue We pilots miss you a lot Maybe you should have more interactions with the commercial staff and the operations crew he added JRD smiled and agreed to look into it soonCapt Anant Kulkarni who retired from AI in 2002 says the airlinersquos floors were covered in Kashmiri carpets and the aircraft would boast of bright art murals for interiors PICRane AshishWhile JRD was excessively involved with the airline his primary focus had always been on building a top class cabin crew mdash one of the reasons why AI was No 1 explains Nath Famed solo traveller Meher Heroyce Moos 72 who joined AI in August 1965 recounts Once when he was flying he quietly went behind and turned the curtains separating the first class and economy to see if there was dirt at the back Everything had to be in order says Moos who retired as deputy general manager with the airline at 58But unbeknownst to many the aviator boss had taken a few pilots into confidence Rao a close associate of JRD who flew him many a time remembers how particular the latter was about every minute detail on the craft Sometimes he would call me to his office and chat about how the routes we were flying were faringThe iconic Maharaja logo was created by Bobby Kooka and Umesh RaoThen there was a minister whose name Raos failing memory cant recall who created a ruckus by insisting on reclining on a first class seat in a way that made it difficult for copassengers to move or sit When Rao brought it to JRDs notice he immediately ordered that the design be tweaked so that no one would ever recline too far behindA photograph of the AI crew that Capt CRS Rao has kept to this dayA palace on wheelsBy the mid 1960s flying with AI held great prestige value The likes of Maureen Keelan and Parmeshwar Kaur who were part of the cabin crew and went on to marry into the Wadia and Godrej households respectively had already brought in the muchneeded glamour quotient The 70s had its own swing recalls 83yearold Captain KS Chandrasekar who continues to train AI pilots even today The captains had an aura about them We used to be called the Brylcreem hair cream brand boys because of the kind of look we had mdash gelled hair smart uniforms and always surrounded by pretty girls We were a source of great envy says the IAF veteranSheela Karunakaran and other Air India crew with actor Anupam KherAnd the aircraft right from the DC 3 Super Constellation the Boeing 707 and 747 were the best in the world says Rao who was among the few pilots to have had the opportunity to fly all of the aircraftA handwritten note by PM Indira Gandhi that contains her protocol announcement to the President of Republic of Sudan as she was flying over the countryRetd manager and inflight supervisor AV Ashoks collection of autographs from the Indian cricketers who were flying from London to Bombay on the Air India flight after their 1983 World Cup winRetired senior manager and cabin incharge Sheela Karunakaran who met her husband AV Ashok on her first flight when she joined the cabin crew in 1978 remembers the fourcourse meals that were served on first and club class Our meals were the finest in the world In fact people would choose AI because of the food We offered a variety of liqueurs and only the best of French wines For snacks main entreacutee and desserts the guests could choose from both Continental and Indian cuisine all served on fine Doulton crockery says Karunakaran who also received a special award for her contribution towards maximum evacuations during the Gulf War and most recently CyprusCaptain Jag Mohan Nath 87 the only living Indian Air Force veteran to be decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra recalls telling JRD Tata We pilots miss you a lot Maybe you should have more interactions with the commercial staff and the operations crew PICPRADEEP DHIVARMenu cards from the first class service at Air IndiaAshok who flew the 1983 Indian cricket World Cup team from London to Mumbai then Bombay mentions how at one point the number of crew was determined by passengers on board We used to have a 21member crew making it easier for us to attend to every one Later the number of doors on the craft determined the crew number he says The gradual transition to having a smaller crew currently 11 or 12 worked against the airline The costcutting effort pulled it further away from JRD Tatas vision of quality service Too much interference by the government is how Rao and Nath put itFamed solo traveller Meher Heroyce Moos 72 who joined AI in August 1965 retired as deputy general manager at 58 However she continues her travels with her favourite airline PICSameer AbediCapt Anant Kulkarni who retired from AI in 2002 still calls himself a product of the Maharaja The floors were covered in Kashmiri carpets Every aircraft especially the Boeing 747 was a sight to behold he says Those who worked onand travelled with AI lived like royalty he says The Maharaja used to be the perfect host