George Thomas

The recent fracas over the off-loading of a wealthy MP from Kerala from an Air India flight to Dubai by an indignant pilot has created quite a cacophony, as if it were a rare occurrence. In fact, it is history repeating itself with the frequency of a farce.

The crux of the episode was the pilot being called a glorified driver, on the one hand; and, on the other, the honourable MP being treated like an ordinary passenger. Grievous errors of great magnitude, no doubt. Both could have cited privileges and rules to support their stance, forgetting that rules are like spider’s web. If anything small falls into the web, it is ensnared; large things break through and escape.

Actually, neither is to be blamed. They were playing out their respective, perceived roles. As Shakespeare put it: “All bad precedents begin with justifiable measures.”

What seems to have been taken as a major affront was the description of the pilot as a “glorified driver”. This again has a hark-back. When Mohan Kumaramangalam was appointed the Chairman of Indian Airlines by Indira Gandhi, he started by tinkering with the routes which possibly affected the timings and working conditions of the employees. The employees of Indian Airlines went on strike.

At a press conference in Chennai, Kumaramangalam, while trying to explain his stand, said that as the management he had the prerogative to decide what was good for the organisation and did not necessarily have to take the okay from the employees. He went on to state that he was as much obliged to seek the concurrence of the airline employees regarding the scheduling of routes, etc., as the Pallavan Transport Corporation (PTC) management was obliged to seek the approval of bus drivers for changing the routes. Touche!

This was the red rag and infuriated the IA employees no end. They put up banners all over their offices stating “Comrade Kumaramangalam, You fought for labour. Chairman Kumaramangalam, you are fighting the labour.” However, the strike ended, and Kumaramangalam went on to become an articulate Minister for the Indira Gandhi Government.

The only similarity between the pilots and the politicians is their common feeling that they are a set apart from the hoi polloi. Yes, they need to be treated differently due to their own occupational idiosyncrasies.

There is an interesting instance of a State Government pilot. On one occasion, he flew in a CM on a visit to a steel city. After arrival, he was taken to the posh Guest House. It appeared that he was not served the usual lunch menu of his choice. Hell hath no fury like a pilot annoyed. He returned to the airstrip with a long face and when the CM arrived at the airstrip for departure, the pilot sent word that there was a technical snag and the flight would be delayed indefinitely. And it was the peak of summer. And the CM had no choice but to cool his heels in the airstrip lounge.

Both sides will continue to raise their pitch. Yes, pilots have a limited bailiwick, but up 30,000 feet they are like birds in the air who decide their own direction. MPs have a larger domain on earth. We have not seen the end of this battle royale. It would be like the never-ending TV serials. As, in every case, there are three sides to the story, the MP’s, the pilot’s and the truth!

One is reminded of Peter Sellers in The Party. Sellers played the usual shambolic native stereotype. At one point in the movie, a character asks Sellers: “Who do you think you are?” Pat came the reply: “In India, we don’t think who we are; we know who we are.” Perhaps, the MP and the pilot knew who they are!

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