It was 1993 and I was on top of the world. Everything was in perfect shape. I was building up deposits in the bank with very minimal borrowing. This is the most ideal situation an entrepreneur expects to be in. In spite of this comfortable situation, I used to work hard, putting in every effort with the hope of growing and improving my finances day by day. I simply loved making money (the legitimate way!). I wanted to be like many other successful people. Having role models in life is very important. Most of these role models have positive and negative sides. I imbibed the positive aspects of these individuals and implemented them in my life. My life changed. I was not avaricious but found fun in making money. It gave me more confidence and courage.
Friends, confidence is a must and one should never give up. This is a mantra I practice even today. Many people give up fast and get disillusioned. Let me tell you, this is not a solution. For all our protracted problems, God created solutions also. However, some don’t have the patience to find the solution and always project the problem. This isn’t right.
The Indian economy during this time was going through a new phase with everyone talking about liberalization. There was a time when India was controlled by the License Raj. To start any business or venture, you needed a license. Even though we are not fully out of this yet, considering what we see today, I believe we have attained commercial freedom to run an enterprise without too many hurdles. The then Government, under the able leadership of the late Mr. Narasimha Rao, the Prime Minister of India at that time, headed the liberalization movement and took it forward. We saw many changes. Exchange control eased up, movement of money between India and foreign countries eased up, restrictions started to loosen up and the government welcomed business and foreign investments. Visionaries make things happen!
I carefully watched the policy changes that were being made and I could see many more opportunities coming my way. Liberalization meant more open doors. I had a penchant for aviation and a decent knowledge of it too. There was a rumor that the Government of India was planning to allow the entry of private airlines in the Indian skies. It later turned out that the government was considering private operators to operate ‘air taxis’. A thought triggered in my mind in that direction. I expressed my desire to a few friends and consulted many experts.
As expected, everyone gave me negative feedback and dissuaded me. I usually get these thoughts, that I call ‘trigger’ which eventually results in making new moves by simply chasing them.
As the media was abuzz about the opening up of the aviation sector, I said ‘Why don’t I enter this field? Just knowledge of the basic principles of flying did not mean that I had any expertise in setting up an airline or running it effectively. I knew this was something beyond my reach, beyond my capacity, and beyond my means. But I said I can do it! I had decided to venture into aviation and started to make my moves.
From now on you will see a different me JT. My life changed completely with this move, which I will write about in my subsequent posts.
I woke up an hour earlier than usual every day, looked up at the sky and dreamt of turning my dream to reality in the Indian sky. My mind traveled over the horizon – dreaming, dreaming.
Stay tuned for more.