By Arrangement with India STRATEGIC

By MAHENDRA VED        

For Ratan Tata, it is an opportunity and a challenge. It’s a long haul

It is called Kayakalpa, or rejuvenation, in ancient Sanskrit language.  The Government has sold Air India, the national carrier, returning it to its original founder-owner, the Tatas, to be refurbished and run. It will, hopefully, be déjà vu, a throw-back to the past, when it touched the sky with glory, and its excellent onboard crew was gracious and the inflight services impressive. There were beauty queens as Air Hostesses on the flight deck, whose grace and smiles lit up a million more.

Air India was the Maharaja of skies; the first and Business class were super, and economy was comfortable. It will perhaps be difficult to come back to the good old times, but one does hope it happens to some extent with this historic transaction.  

With the Tatas set to take full control shortly after due procedures are completed, India is poised to show-off to the world the regal return of the rejuvenated Maharajah, the airline’s symbol that majestically flew in the skies without ever ruling, in a manner of speaking. That benign smile, moustache twirled-up, the red tunic dusted clean and the regal turban in place should delight the passengers again.

The return should necessarily be an age-defying transformation of a sick enterprise, and who can do it better than the mother that conceived it 89 years ago? The Tatas.

The Largest Deal for the Government, and Full of Optimism. For further reading: https://www.indiastrategic.in/tatas-hi-to-air-india/