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    Err India:The National Crasher

    A lot has been talked about the Mangalore crash both in print and televised media, close to 50% of India's population blamed for this horrific incident, somewhere around a million blogs written about it, and we are almost in the verge of getting done away with it in exchange of our daily Ekta Kapoor doze or some funny singing competition. For a change I am not going to write about how and why one of our national carriers toppled over a table top airstrip like a golf ball to the adjacent valley killing many. I am here to elaborate the colourful characters of the employees of this phenomenon called Air India and their ever so active unions, which strongly believes, taking the country and their passengers to ransom is just another of their daily jobs.

    It's kind of funny to see these bunch of employees are more engaged in strikes and stuffs related to it than actually flying. It's almost a regular site to see many number of flights getting cancelled, reason - one union or the other are going the left way and are in some sort of Dharna or strike.

    Why these set of guys are so strike prone? As if, it is like - getting bored with the monotony, lets go for a strike. For heaven's sake, what the hell is this flash strike? Fresh after the Mangalore tragedy which delivered a strong blow to the already degrading brand name, the last thing the AI management would have thought these guys to do was to go for a strike. Being the pick travel season, the Maharajah might have hoped to get some good revenue to ease off some much needed debt, so as to have some room to breath, but his employees had the idea completely at the opposite corner of the river. This very opposite idea did end up with 13000 passengers stranded at various locations, Maharajah losing a handsome 12 crores in two days, the already diluted brand name gone for a toss and of course all have to see the sorry face of Praful Patel again on TV. Trust me the last one was the most torturous of the lot. We as individual citizens, the tax payers are least interested on the ego clash between the management and the employees as long as our interests are not taken hostage and few dirty individuals go on a blackmailing endeavour.

    Isn't it the same brand which was made to survive when we Tax payers paid huge booty from our pockets, so that our Maharajah keeps on flying and these blackmailers get their regular salary without doing much beyond striking? If we can be so generous and concerned towards our national pride, why can't these clowns show the same concern for the passengers, if not for anyone. AI head Mr.Yadav might have a truck load of flaws and ego, the union might not fancy having this guy at the top and what not, but why we as fliers should bother? It should be none of our business to bother much beyond getting the boarding card and ogling beautiful cabin crew members (if at all any, looking at AI's preferences), during the flying time and of course fasting our seat belts during take off and landing. Ours job should be strictly confined to this (many senior citizens might very well let go the second responsibility), than waiting outside the airport in sultry heat giving a facial expression-'done a huge mistake in choosing to fly with the Maharajah, than with some private players with better ogling opportunity'. If not for the tax payers this airlines would have been part of our history books long back and for that matter, it is only India where we are tolerating these perpetual criminals for ages, in any other country this kind of airlines would have been wiped out of context quite early.

    Thanks to the honourable Delhi high court, these insane individuals were brought to the ground. During the strike, when the media asked one of the so called union leaders on the reason of their strike, the answer seemed like a nonsense reciting the Ramayan. It is just that the AI management suggested these bunch of grossly unprofessional and erratic lot to keep their mouth shut in front of the cameras and refrain themselves from going around vomiting all over the place, these clowns thought of replying via a strike. Any equation can't be funnier than this. The shameless lot should have understood the dilemma of their management, fresh after a huge tragedy, which made them issue this statement, so that no more embarrassment be brought to the already over embarrassed brand. I don't think there is anything wrong in this decision of the AI management.

    With honesty, I must admit, our own Maharajah is testing my patience to the core and I am somehow losing it also. The attitude of AI employees for last 4-5 months is not at all flier friendly to say the least. It seems a better idea to book in one of those private airlines than waiting for some erratic idiots to call off their strike and get you the feeling of being either straight from a destitute home or from some orphanage. I am sorry to say, for someones overhead tendency and for some absurd ego clash, I am not going to bake myself in hot 45 degree summer sun, and still be called a patriot. I know it is really tough to be a patriot, but I am not definitely going to take this tough route to be one either.

    1 comment:

    1. Good Observations on the system in India specially in Air Travel. I feel lots of politics happening in this arena. I dont agree that Air India Employee go for Strike, It seems Union of air India is very much involve in money making from various way by opting this useless strike. They say they care employee but does not seems like that.
      However, I feel this is good. people will start getting attracted to private Airlines and thats where Air India will loose the base.
      I wish Air India Union will realize the Important of Customer Faith and good services and it will be very late for them.

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