CHOCKS ON

A magazine for pilots, by pilots BLR

November
2017
Edition
2 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

C h o c k s On i s a plat-
fo r m for pi lots to sh are
t he i r s tor i e s outs ide t h e
co c k p i t.
CONTENTS
4
THE T WO WONDERS
Fleet Captain, South Region, Captain Rahul
Patil recounts the story of his recent visit 18
the 2 Seven wonders of the World - Christ FLYING AND FITNESS
the Redeemer and Macchu Picchu.
We all fly the same aircrafts, fly the same
sectors, stay at the same hotels. Why then
8 are some of our colleagues in better shape
than us? Article by Captain Fahd Saleem.
TO KHO TAO AND KHAI
ISLANDS
Capt. Shray Sahnis 10-day trip to Thailand
20
with his wife was pretty much packed TO STOK KANGRI
with a lot of exploration and fantastic
experiences. Captain Yash Sindhu recounts his
adventures of climbing up to 20187 ft.

10 22
ALOHA! FROM THE OF FINDING HOME
MAGICAL ISLAND OF
HAWAII Captain Priyanka Soni had to wait for 5
years before she could sponsor her first
A perfect vacation to discover beauty, expedition- but boy, was it worth the wait!
culture and adventure in the middle of The story of her trek to Mt Kanamo with Ms
the Pacific Ocean. - By Captain Sushant Bachendri Pal.
Laxman

24
12 SPREADING LOVE
WANDERER
World is a better place because of animal
Travelling my favourtite cities - welfare NGOs like CARE. I marvel at their
Amsterdam, Berlin and Ontario By Captain sense of compassion. - Captain Aashti
Ritesh Malhotra Sindhu

15 26
LAYOVER 073 BANDHAN - PROJEC T
Captain Soham Jain crafts a beautiful
BY INDIGO
itinerary for anyone to follow when they 28
have the much-awaited Singapore layover. BEYOND FLYING
29
16 BEST FESTS
GALLOPING FORWARD 30
CHOCKS ON MAGAZINE is CONGRATULATIONS
published quar ter ly.
My interest in equestrian sport dates back
to when I was first introduced to horses at
31
the age of four. - Captain Chetan Reddy CONTRIBUTORS
 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 3

Fro m t r y i ng to balan ce
f a m i ly w i th s oc i al life to
wo r k i n g a rou nd an er rat ic
s l e e p p atte r n, our lives can
n ever b e monotono us. I t
is nt ea s y but i t i s nt dif f icult
e it h er.

I n d i G o t a ke s gre at care o f
u s a nd e nable s us to h ave a
re l a xe d ye t i nte re s t in g life
beyo nd ou r wor k i ng h o urs.
Fro m p ar ti c i pati ng in eques-
tr i a n s p o r ts to volunteer-
in g i n d og s he lte r s, we p ilo t s
h ave va r i e d hobbi e s. We
l ove to t rave l the gl o be an d
al s o l ove watc hi ng o ur ch il-
dre n grow u p to be great
A B E AU T I F U L S U N R I S E
TO D AY, S T E L M O S F I R E
TO M O R R O W - A P I LOT S
LIFE IS MUCH MORE
T H A N J U S T F LY I N G
AND MANAGING THE
CO C K P I T.

EDITORIAL
ach i e ve rs.

C ho ck s O n i s no s mall plat-
for m fo r us to ge t to k n ow
e a c h o t he r a s m ore t h an
j u st co lle a gu e s. Le t s get to
k n ow o ur fe llow pi l o t s, t h eir
s p o u s e s and c hi ldren . Af ter
al l, he re i n I ndi G o, we are all
pa r t o f one hu ge family!

H e re i s a s ma ll pe e k into
w h at d efi ne s u s as un ique
in d i vi d ua ls and ma kes us
6 E

P. S . I n cas e you want to

s u b m i t fe e d ba c k or ideas fo r
th e nex t e d i ti on, do dro p an
e m a i l to

s u r b h i . grove r @goi n digo. in !

Pho to by Captain R i s h a b h K a ura

4 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
Thi s bre atht ak in g wo n der wh ich s preads ac ro s s 3 co u ntr ies (B razil, Arg entina an d
Para gu ay ) an d h as 275 f alls, mak in g it the wo r l d s l arg es t water f al l s !
THE T WO WONDERS
Fleet Cap tain, S o u th R egio n,
Plan : To visit Capt ain R ahu l Patil l oves
to wo r k a nd as m u c h as he
the 2 Seven loves to travel ! He gives his
h ear t an d s o u l to his j o b as a
Wonders of the t rain er an d Fl eet Captain.
World - Christ Fro m mak ing al l l adies feel
special on Wo m ens Day to
the Redeemer o rgan isin g var io u s ac tiv i -
t ies, Cap tain R ahu l l oves
and Macchu to see t h e bas e u nited and
h is p ilo t s happy. Ever y few
Picchu in Brazil week s, h e tak es a break f ro m
wo r k an d co l l ec ts travel
and Peru memo r ie s f ro m aro u nd the
glo b e.
- By Captain Rahul Patil
H is mo st recent v is it to
S o u th Am er ic a was bas e d o n
o ne g o al - to s ee t wo o f t h e
S even Wo nder s o f the Wo r l d
- C hr is t the R edeem er in
B razil and M acc hu Picc h u i n
Per u.
I f o ne has a val id US v i s a ,
I ndians g et f ree - o f - c harg e
v is a o n ar r ival in Per u. O n
the o ther hand, g etting a
B razil ian to u r is t v is a c a n
tak e u p to 1 0 wo r k ing d ays,
af ter appl y ing fo r the sa m e 1
m o nth befo re the tr ip.
E m irates f l ig ht f ro m D ub a i
to R io direc t is o nl y 1 3
ho u r s and 5 0 m inu tes l ate r

we fi na lly la nde d in R io de
J a ne i ro, one of th e mo st
exo t i c de s ti nati on s we h ave
b ee n to i n the ne ar past !
R i o i s famou s for it s
b ea c h e s, ni ght par t ies,
s a m b a m u s i c a nd easygo -
i n g p eople ; we had all o f 3
ni g ht s a nd 3 days to ex per i-
e n ce t hi s ma gi c al cit y!
A few poi nte r s wh ile in R io :
C h ec k the be s t weat h er
( a ccu we athe r.com) wh ich
s u i t s you to trave l to R io,
e ve r y ye a r i n Fe bruar y is
t he R i o Car ni val but it s
a ls o ex tre me ly pleasant in
Au g u st/ S e pte mber.
As s oon a s you l an d an d
co m p l e te i mmi grat io n , do
N OT b ook the Pre -Paid t ax i
( i t s a r i p off ) . G e t o ut o f t h e
a i r p o r t and i mmediately yo u
wi l l se e Ye llow c ab s. Simp ly
Just like that, it was
time to say goodbye
to Rio. From Rio we
flew to one of worlds
most renowned and
beautiful natural
wonders - The Iguassu
Falls.
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
sit in o n e o f them and au to -
mat ically they pu t o n the
meter. Ye l l ow taxi/Uber is
t h e b est way to g et aro u nd
in R io. I t s a bit expens ive
but b et te r and s afer than the
M et ro !
Th e lo cal s are ex trem el y
f r ien dly, hel pf u l and pl eas-
ant but ver y few s peak
En glish ; i ts either S panis h o r
Po r t ugue s e that they u nder-
st an d so k eep yo u r E ng l is h
to Span ish dic tio nar y handy
an d always s ay Obr ig ado i. e.
Th an k Yo u in Po r tu g u es e!
B o o k you r s tay at either
B o t afo go o r Fl am eng o areas
o r t h e slig htl y expens ive
Co pacaba na, I penam a o r
Leb lo n .
We visite d C hr is t the
R eedeme r, S u g ar Lo af
M o unt ain, S am bo dro m e
(M arques de S apu c ai),
Escadar ia S el aro n (co l o red
5
ceram ic s teps ), Tij u c a
N atio nal Par k and the 3 m o s t
bu zzing and l ivel y beac h e s
o f Co pac abana, I panema a n d
Lebl o n.
Yo u c an dres s l ik e a s amb a
dancer and tak e s o m e p i c -
tu res f ro m o ne o f the s h o p s
at S am badro m e fo r j u s t
abo u t 10 R eal s. The v iew
and exper ience o f do ing t h e
hang g l iding f ro m the S a o
Co nrado area is o ne o f t h e
bes t we have do ne ac ro s s
the wo r l d; o f f s eas o n pr i ce
per head fo r hang g l idin g i s
4 50 R eal.
Yo u c an s pend the entire
evening at the pr is tine
beac hes, s ipping the f a m o us
Caipir inha co c k tail, m ad e
f ro m either c ac ha a (r um
and s u g arc ane) o r vo dk a i n
dif ferent f l avo r s al o ng w i t h
s o m e f ing er-l ic k ing l o c a l
B razil ian s nac k s.
6 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

WONDERS
THE T WO

Fro m R io we f l ew to o ne
o f wo r l d s m o s t renow ned
an d b eau tif u l natu ral
wo n de r s - The Ig u as s u Fal l s
(Fo g de Ig u azu ). The v is it-
in g h o ur s are f ro m 0 93 0 to
1730 h r s. One s ho u l dnt m is s
t h e M a c u co S af ar i w here a
bo at t a k es yo u u nder the
f alls. Approxim atel y 3 to 4
h o urs a re needed to v is it
t h is b reathtak ing wo nder,
wh ich s preads ac ro s s 3 co u n-
t r ies (Brazil, Arg entina and
Paraguay ) and has 2 75 f al l s
mak in g it the wo r l d s l arg es t
water f al l s ! D o no t fo rg et to

water falls ! D o no t fo rget to
b o o k the ma i n e nt r y t icket s
to avo i d s ta ndi ng in lo n g
q u e ue s ! From Iguassu we
fl ew to S a o Paulo an d st ayed
over ni ght. From t h ere, we
fl ew Latam ai r li nes to Cusco
a f ter a 2 hou r tran sit an d
i m m i grati on halt at Lima
(Per u ) .
Cu sco i s a ve r y beaut if ul,
q u a i nt li ttle town wit h an
ex t re m e ly s ce ni c S quare. Yo u
ca n exc ha nge yo ur mo n ey,
vi si t t he c athe d rals, eat an d
d r i nk and bu y s ouven irs all
at o ne place Th e Plaza D e
Ar m a s (Ce ntra l s quare in
Cu sco) . M a ke i t a po int to
st ay at le as t for 2-3 n ight s in
Cu sco - d o s a m ple t h e lo cal
cu i si n e of Alpa c a meat an d
d r i nk the Pi s co so ur sh o t s/
d r i nksprom i s e yo u wo nt
sto p at one !
3 p l a ce s are m u st visit
i n Cu s co - the R ain b ow
M o u ntai n Tre k , Th e S acred
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
Valley Trek and the I nk a
Trail Trek (al ter nativel y, tak e
t h e t rain to M acc hu Picc hu )
Q uilla R es to bar and I nk a
Gr ill are t wo pl aces w here
yo u can dr ink and dine fo r
lo cal de l ic ac ies.
We to ok the retu r n Per u
R ail t ra in to M acc hu Picc hu
f ro m a s tatio n c al l ed
Ollant ay tam bo ; the train
r ide is ex trem el y s cenic
wh ich l as ts fo r abo u t 9 0
min utes and hal ts at Ag u as
Calientes Statio n, now
called M acc hu Picc hu Peu bl o
st at io n . We then hired a c ar
f ro m Cu s co to Ol l antay tam bo
an d b ac k w hic h co s ts yo u
app roxim atel y 2 00 Per u v ian
S o l s fo r the retu r n. We
bo o ked a g u ide f ro m the
Cusco cit y (2 5 US D per head)
wh o me t u s at the Statio n
it self an d then to o k u s to the
gates o f M acc hu Picc hu, v ia
bus.
Th e entr y to M acc hu Picc hu
7
is div ided into 2 tim in g s,
0 70 0 am to 1 2 pm and 1 2 p m
to 17 30 hr s - yo u m u s t b uy a
tic k et fo r any o ne hal f t h at
yo u w is h and exit at yo ur
tim e. I t tak es 3 to 4 ho ur s
to v is it this s cenic Won d e r
o f the Wo r l d, inc l u din g a l l
s to ps fo r pic tu res. Fro m h e re,
we headed bac k to S a o Pa ul o
v ia Lim a (5 ho u r f l ig ht ) a n d
ar r ived by 15 00 hr s in S a o.
t wo nig hts in S ao are g o o d
eno u g h to expl o re it, e i t h e r
yo u g et o n the Ho p - o n - H o p -
O f f R ed B u s o r s im pl y c atc h a
taxi and g o to the pl a ce s yo u
want to s ee.
O f the m any s ites, the S a o
Pau l o Cathedral and th e
B atm ans Al l ey are a mus t
s ee; s pend the evenin g i n a n
area f u l l o f bar s c al l ed t h e
Vil a M adal ina and do s o m e
bar ho pping to exper i e n ce
the m u s ic and f u n l ife o n t h e
week ends at S ao Pau l o.
8 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

TO KO TAO AND KHAI ISL ANDS

C a p t . S h r a y S a h n i s 1 0 - d a y t r i p t o T h a i l a n d w i t h h i s w i f e w a s p r e t t y

much packed with a lot of exploration and fantastic experiences.

C ho o s ing to f l y f ro m B a n g k o k
to K o h S am u i s aved u s a l o t
o f travel tim e. Therea f te r, we
to o k Lo m prayah fer r y s e r-
v ices to K o Tao.

O u t o f the m any o pti o n s

we had to c ho o s e f ro m fo r
S c u ba Div ing, we went a h e a d
w ith M o j o Diver s. This s c h o o l
is r u n by M o ham m ed a n d
we were ex trem el y ha p py
w ith the w ho l e co u r se. O ur
ins tr u c to r was Virgini a w h o
hail s f ro m the States a n d i s
ex trem el y co u r teo u s a n d p ro -
fes s io nal. The co u r s e l a s t s
fo r 3 -4 days w hic h in c l ud e s
4 o pen water dives up to 1 8
m (6 6f t) deep! We we nt to
C hu m pho n and J apan e s e
G ardens and wow ! Wh at
am azing dive s ites ! Th e l i fe
u nder water in and aro un d K o
Tao is j u s t s u bl im e!

We s tayed at B ew itc h e d
R es o r t l o c ated o n S ai re e
beac h- the bes t area to s t ay
in K o Tao. One wo u l d nt h ave
to wander m u c h to f i n d a
g o o d m eal o r j u s t an e ve n i n g
pu b ho p!

M u st tr y i n Ko Tao -
Barracuda -
r e s ta u r a n t
s a lmon pat an d seafo o d
i n ye llow c ur r y wrap ped in
a le af. P o r t o B e l l o - wh ite
sna ppe r flore nt in e an d
g o l d e n fr i e d Br ie ch eese wit h
so me s ala d a re o ur reco m-
m endati ons. Snap per f lo ren-
t i ne wgi c h was o ut o f t h is
wo r ld!
S p i nac h pumpk in puf f an d
t h e c hi c ke n m ayo san dwich
at T h r o u g h t h e l o o k i n g g l a s s .
S o me of the m ost decadent
p a nc ake s from t h e P a n c a k e
g u y nex t to M ojo Divers, wh o
p u ts hi s he a r t an d so ul into
h i s pa nc ake s !
Gre at coc kta i ls an d amb i-
a n ce at F i z z , wh ere yo u sit
o n be a n ba gs on t h e beach
w i t h lante r ns an d t h e music
j u s t hi ts the s po t. Great fo o d
i n ge ne ral by th e beach at
B a n s D i v i n g R e s o r t Tr y t h e
shr i m p te m pura, seafo o d
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 9
p ast a, Thai green c u r r y, f is h
an d ch ips.
On t h e third day, we reac hed
Surat Thani. We went fo r
t h e John G ray s Ho ng s to u r
by st ar l ig ht and it wow -
wh at an am azing dive s ite!
Ho n gs are hu g e l im es to ne
ro ck s w hic h have natu ral
caves m ade by the water.
On e ca n o nl y v is it du r ing
low t ide and yo u have to l ie
down o n the c ano e at tim es
due to the l ow ceil ing. Once
t h ro ug h the c ave, yo u reac h
a lago o n! I t s l ik e an is l and
in an is l and o f u nto u c hed
un ima ginabl e beau t y !
O ur K hai is l ands tr io to u r
an d o ne nig ht in B ang k o k
werent as del ig htf u l as o u r
scub a div ing exper ience
an d t h e Ho ng s to u r. The t wo
mo st to p rated ro o f to p bar s
- t h e S k y B ar, 64 th f l o o r and
Th e Ver tig o R o o f To p B ar,
B anyan Tree were wo r th a
visit.
10 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
A LO H A ! F R O M T H E M A G I C A L
I S L A N D O F H AWA I I
A per fec t va c at i on to d i s cove r b e a u t y, cu l tu re a n d
adventu re i n t he m i d d l e o f th e Pa ci f i c O ce a n .
- B y Captain S usha nt La x m a n
A t ravel enthu s ias t, Captain
Sush ant Laxm an tak es a tr ip
ever y fe w days. I f no t fo r
I n diG o, he wo u l d l ove to
wo r k fo r Hawaiian, s ince it
is o n e o f the few o perato r s,
wh ich fl ies the B o eing 7 17
an d recentl y the A 33 0. Al s o,
t h eir safet y reco rd has been
impeccabl e - they have never
h ad an acc ident in their
ent ire h is to r y o f 88 year s !
H is t r ip to Hawaii was f u l l o f
advent ure and s u r pr is es. H i s
f r ien ds were hes itant at f ir s t
to v is it this is l and bu t a f te r
retu r ning, ever yo ne wa nte d
to g o bac k !
Hawaii has 8 m aj o r is l a n d s
and s everal s m al l er isl a n d s.
The Is l and o f Hawaii, t h e B i g
Is l and, as the nam e s u g g e s t s,
is the big g es t is l and of a l l,
f am o u s fo r its ac tive vo l c a-
no es, K o na co f fee and b l a c k
s and beac hes as wel l a s t h e
s ea l ife. I f yo u are havi n g a
l eis u re tr ip, then do vi s i t t h e
f ree s tar watc hing pro gra m s
and tr y to s pend tim e d i vi n g

wi t h s ti ng rays.
M a u i I f be a c h is t h e o n ly
t hi n g on you r min d, alo n g
wi t h s nor ke li ng an d pic t ure
p er fe c t s u ns e ts, t h is is t h e
p l a ce to go. Stay at t h e
K a a napali be ac h area. D o
t r y to v i s i t the Haleak ala
N at i onal Par k ; the dr ive it self
i s q ui te s ce ni c. We watch ed
t he suns e t d u r i n g o ur t r ip.
Co me bac k to K aan ap ali
a nd v i s i t the L ah ain a Town
fo r som e m outh-water in g
d i she s.
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
Ho n o lul u - the f am o u s
Waik ik i beac h and the
Capit al o f Hawaii, this c it y
h as a mix o f ever y thing and
fo r ever yo ne. I f yo u l ik e to
run - go to diam o nd head fo r
it s st unning v iews. Vis it the
Pear l Ha r bo r to s ee o il s til l
leak in g f ro m US S Ar izo na.
Waik ik i is no t o nl y f am o u s
fo r is wo r l d- c l as s beac h, bu t
also fo r it s nig htl ife and f ir s t
class sur f ing. I f yo u have
spare cas h, s ho p al l yo u want
11
at o ne o f the s ho pping m a l l s
in Waik ik i.
K au ai The beac h is l a n d -
this l u s h tro pic al is l an d h a s
m o re beac hes than m os t o f
the s is ter is l ands. J u ra s s i c
Par k was s ho t here, as we l l
as m o s t o f Pirates o f t h e
Car ibbean. Pr incev il l e i s o n e
o f the nices t areas o n t h e
is l and.
12 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

WA N D E R E R

Travelling my favourtite cities -

Amsterdam, Berlin and Ontario
By Captain Ritesh Malhotra

A few de c ades f ro m now, f ar and w ide. He s tro ng l y

yo u will b e m o re dis ap -
p o inted by the thing s yo u
didn `t do than the o nes yo u
did do.
Havin g vis ited m o re than
100 cit ies and tow ns ac ro s s
Euro p e al o ne, Captain R ites h
M alh o t ra has co m e to real ize
t h at h is wander l u s t has s ig-
n if icant ly hel ped him evo l ve
as a perso n and r is e to c hal-
len ges be tter. The penc hant
to co llec t m o m ents, m eet
n ew peo p l e and m ak e m em-
o r ies led him to co u ntr ies
bel ieves that travel ing i s a n
im per io u s v ice - dem an d i n g
tim e, energ y, m o ney an d t h e
s ac r if ice o f co m fo r t l ead i n g
him to beco m e m o re amb i-
tio u s and v ir tu o u s in hi s p ro -
fes s io nal pu r s u its to be a b l e
to c ater to s u c h a ho bby.
Hav ing v is ited Am s terd a m
over 12 tim es in the l ast 9
year s, I have m ade wo n d e r f ul
f r iends f ro m diver s e ba c k-
gro u nds, w ho co ntinu e to
rem ain in to u c h al l throug h
thes e year s.

Am ste rda m , N e th er lan ds A
c i t y t hat i s downr ight ch ar m-
i n g wi th an e ndless mis-
cella ny of thi ngs to do an d
p l a ce s to s e e, Amsterdam
i s o n e of the c le a nest an d
gree n es t c a pi tals in t h e
wo r l d. For a ll the so lo t ravel
e nt h u si as ts, I would st ro n gly
re co mm e nd ma k i ng a reser-
vat i o n at one of th e n umer-
o u s ` youth hos te ls` lo cated
cent rally ( s uc h as t h e
` D owntown Pi g` Ho stel).
H owe ve r, one must b e
m i n d ful that re s e r vat io n s at
t he se rathe r famo us acco m-
m o d at i ons r u n out mo nt h s
i n a d va nce. The re can b e
no b e t te r way to meet like -
m i n d ed trave le r s an d lo cal
s t u d e nts, tha n to ex plo re
t he u n s e e n par ts o f t h e cit y
wi t h youth from diverse
b a ck grou nds a nd et h n icit ies
who share you r e nergy an d
e nt h u si as m to exp lo re. S o me
o f t h e othe r mus t- do t h in gs
The sight of the now
`levelled off` Berlin Wall
almost running through
the entire city, cutting
across several high-
profile restaurants and
government establishments
- sure to give you
goosebumps.
The Allied Checkpoint
where tourists can get
an endorsement on their
passports to memorialize
their visit to the Berlin Wall
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
fo r to ur is ts in Am s terdam
in clude v is its to the pl etho ra
o f museu m s and a bo at r ide
acro ss t h e c anal s r u nning
r ight t h rou g h the hear t o f
t h e cit y. Ano ther `c heat
t ip` fo r t ravel enthu s ias ts
wh o wish to expl o re the
co mmo n to u r is t attrac tio ns
in Amste rdam wo u l d inc l u de
purch asin g an I Am s terdam
cit y pass in advance fo r f ree
ent r y to s u c h attrac tio ns, in
addit io n to f ree pu bl ic trans-
po r t fo r t he du ratio n o f yo u r
st ay.
B er lin , G e r m any A c it y that
sh all always rem ain c l o s e to
my h ear t, thank s to a m em o -
rable 2- d ay tr ip that I even-
t ually ex tended to over
6 days, a l l thank s to the
amazin g indiv idu al s I m et at
t h e 36 R o o m s B er l in Ho s tel
(h igh ly reco m m ended! ),
lo cated cl o s e to the c it y
center. Th e bo nds we fo rg ed
13
over the co u r s e o f the we e k
s et the to ne fo r ano the r vi s i t
to the c it y, k now n fo r it s
r ic h his to r ic al bac k gro u n d
and it`s c heaper than wate r
beer.
One interes ting tr iv ia a b o ut
the c it y is that no m atte r
how m any tim es yo u v isi t
the c it y as a to u r is t, yo u
c an never v is it al l the b a r s
and pu bs l o c ated in the
c it y, given that the c it y h a s
a new bar o pening al m os t
ever y o ther day. To co m-
pl im ent the c it y `s l ove fo r
l iq u o r, s everal nig htc l ub s i n
B er l in o f fer a u niq u e o p p o r-
tu nit y fo r to u r is ts, es pe c i a l l y
s o l o travel er s (s u r pr is in g l y! )
to revel in the c it y `s nig ht-
l ife w ith o rg anized bo at
par ties that begin at 2 a m
and g o o n u ntil r ig ht af te r
s u nr is e, du r ing the s u mm e r s
( J u ne - S eptem ber ).
14 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

N iagara Ontario, Canada:

Th e N i a g a ra Fa l l s i s a
once in a lifetime bucket-
list destination for travel-
ers from across the globe.

Unlike what one may ordi-

narily perceive of the area
l o c a t e d a r o u n d t h e Fa l l s t o
be sur rounded by rem ote wil-
DURING THE MAID derness, Niagara may actu-
O F T H E M I S T ` B O AT al l y s u r pr is e yo u w ith i t s b us-
TO U R , W E M A D E O U R tling boardwalk and pleth-
WAY TO T H E H E A R T ora of shopping attractions,
O F T H E FA L L S W H I C H b a r s a n d re s t a u ra nt s l i n e d i n
WA S A T R U LY S U R R E A L C l i f t o n H i l l, l o c a t e d w i t h i n a
EXPERIENCE. couple of miles from the Falls.

WA N D E R E R
W h i l e t h e Fa l l s a r e a c c e s s i -
ble from both, the United
States as well as Canada, it
i s b e s t t o e x p l o r e t h e Fa l l s
from the Canadian side to
get a fair idea of the sheer
s c a l e o f n a t u r e ` s w o n d e r.

H av i n g v i s i t e d t h e Fa l l s
on numerous occasions
during both summers and
winters, I would recom-
mend travelers to visit the
Fal l s du r ing s u m m er s to b e s t
enjoy the natural wonder

Do ensure that you are ade -

quately armed with rain-
coats, ponchos and umbrel-
l a s, a s a t r i p o n t h e M a i d o f
t h e M i s t c r u i s e, w h i c h t a k e s
you r ight under the Falls, may
require you to run for cover
from the gushing waters.

Even though most of us
might have already gotten
t h e m u c h aw a i t e d S i n g a p o re
l a y o v e r, h e r e i s a n i t i n e r a r y
o n e c an follow, to make mo st
of the 2 days in Little India.
MRT station is 5 minute
walking, get a card made
- it works on both MRT as
w e l l a s b u s . Ta k e t h e g r e e n
line onwards to wherever
y o u p l a n t o g o. Yo u c a n g e t
d ow n at Bugi s i f yo u want to
d o s o me s tre e t s ho p pin g but
I would advise it to club it
n e x t d a y w i t h O rc h a rd R o a d.
Renting a bicycle may save
you time; I rented one from
B i c yc l e H u t fo r 2 0 $ fo r 3 h r s.
But the more convenient
o p t i o n would be to down lo ad
a p p s - M obi ke or Obik e wh ich
allow you to pick up and
d ro p t h e m a l m o s t a ny w h e re.
Exploring Marina Bay -
Formula One Stand, Esplanade
Theatre, Merlion Park and
onward to The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands may take
an entire day-include in that a
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 15
meal at Ce La Vi which is at the
L AY -
to p o f M ar ina B ay S ands fo r a
beautiful view of the sunset.
If you plan to play at the Casino
then do carr y your passpor t as
entr y is free for foreigners. The
OVER
laser sh ow s tar ts at 19 50 and
is best viewed from Esplanade
A m p h i t h e a t r e . Yo u m a y a l s o
enjoy street food at Glutton
Bay next to the theatre.
073
You may walk to Garden by the
B ay to catc h the l ig ht s how at
2045 an d then c atc h the M R T
to Clarke Quay for its amazing
nightlife. If you plan to hit the
clubs then dont forget to take
yo u r c re w I D a s e n t r y i s f re e B Y C A P TA I N
in most clubs for ladies and SOHAM JAIN
in so me c l u bs fo r m al e pil o ts.
A s M R T a n d b u s e s w o n t b e
available after 2330 to the
airpor t, taxi would be the only
viable option. Other inter-
esting places which can be
covered according to choice
Orchard R oad, S entosa Island,
Universal Studios, Little
I n d i a , C h i n atow n , Fo u nt a i n
o f We a l t h a n d m u c h m o r e .
16 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
G A L LO P I N G
F O R WA R D
B y Ca p t a i n C h e ta n R e d d y
H is intere st i n e q ue st r i a n s po r t d ate s
b ac k to whe n he wa s f i r s t i ntro d u ce d
to h orse s at t he a ge o f fo u r. Wh at
star ted a s a we e ke nd h o b by, s o o n
took sh a p e of a p a ssio n th at l a s te d
fo r 2 8 ye a rs.
Now h e d re a m s of re p re s e nti n g I n d i a
I par tic ipated in my fi r s t
J u nio r N atio nal Eq u es t r i a n
C ham pio ns hip in K o l k at a i n
1 99 3 at the ag e o f nin e. M y
f ir s t m edal at the j u n i o r l e ve l
was a S il ver in Dres s a g e i n
the S u b -J u nio r Categ o r y i n
1 99 7 in the B ang al o re JNEC
( J u nio r N atio nal Eq u e s t r i a n
C ham pio ns hip). I n the
s am e c ham pio ns hip, I g o t a
l etter o f apprec iatio n f ro m
the then Pres ident o f t h e
Eq u es tr ian Federatio n o f
I ndia fo r being the youn g e s t
 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 17

I generally ride at the Embassy International R iding School behind Stone H ill School. They have
lots of pack ages and coaches from beginners to advanced. With over 130 stable blocks, 20 ponies
and 70 horses, the school should definitely be checked out by enthusiasts.

r i d er to fi ni s h th e gruel- sh ow, I wo n the N atio nal w ith w ho m in a s ho r t s p a n

li n g one d ay e vent, wh ich
co m pr i s e s Dre ssage, Cro ss
Co untr y and Sh ow Jump in g.
Th ro ughout my sch o o l years,
I p a r ti c i pate d i n var io us
re gi onal and nat io n al level
c h a mpi ons hi ps. I n 1999-
2 0 0 0 , I wa s s e lec ted to rep -
re se nt I nd i a i n th e CSI -Y
I nte r nati onal C h ampio n sh ip
he l d i n C he nna i an d secured
a te am Bronze medal in
Show Jumpi ng. I n t h e same
I n dividu al S il ver m edal in
t h e Yo ung R ider Categ o r y in
Sh ow J u m ping and al s o the
G o ld m edal in the S u b -J u nio r
Dressag e Categ o r y.
Co llege and the s tar t o f
my aviatio n c areer m eant
I h ad to tak e a break f ro m
my equ es tr ian am bitio ns,
o n ly to s tar t ag ain a few
years bac k . Two year s ag o,
I imp o r ted a B el gian bred
Sh ow J u m ping m are, C l eo,
o f a few m o nths, I co m p e te d
w ith and wo n s everal m e d a l s
at the N atio nal Eq u est r i a n
C ham pio ns hip hel d in
H yderabad in Febr u ar y 2 0 1 6 .
I wo n S il ver m edal s in t h e
G rade 3 and G rade 2 S h ow
J u m ping Categ o r y an d te a m
B ro nze and G o l d in th e s a m e
c ateg o r ies res pec tive l y,
thereby rank ing m e S e co n d
in I ndia in S how J u m p i n g
po ints fo r the year 20 1 5 - 1 6 .
18 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

F LY I N G A N D
FITNESS

We all f ly the s am e airc raf ts, 1 ) 7 0 % Fo o d-

Article by Captain f ly t h e sam e s ec to r s, s tay at
Fahd Saleem t h e same ho tel s. Why then B reak f as t l ik e a K ing, Lun c h
are so me o f o u r co l l eag u es l ik e a Pr ince, Dinner l ik e a
Comic Art by Neha in b et ter s hape than u s ? B eg g ar .
Battish
Wh at are they do ing Even a Fer rar i wo u l d r un l i k e
dif ferentl y ? an o l d j eep if yo u f il l he r up
w ith dies el ins tead o f p e t ro l.
Th ere are 3 bas ic r u l es to O u r bo dies are the s am e.
lo o k in g l ik e a G reek G o d: Yo u do nt have to s tar ve, j us t
c hang e w hat yo u eat.
70 % - Fo o d
Hu ngr y ? Heres w hat yo u c a n
20 % - Exerc is e eat in f l ig ht, f ro m the I n d i g o
s el ec tio n, w itho u t feel i n g
10 % - Sleep g u il t y. The c rew m eal s may

be t a st y, but i f yo u are t r yin g
to l o s e we i ght, avo id it.
D r i nk gre e n te a i nstead o f
te a w ith multi ple cream-
e r s. At ta c k the fr uit bask et.
E at fl avoure d G re ek yo gh ur t.
( Ta s t y a nd low i n f at ) To p it
o ff wi t h M u e s li a nd milk .
At t he cos t of fre quent
v i s i t s to the lavato r y , st ar t
d r i nk i ng wate r li k e a f ish .
D r i nk i ng a lot of water in
f li g ht s i gni fi c antl y h elps in
we i g ht re duc ti on.
R em e mbe r, for di n n er,
t hat d e s s e r t i n the crew
m ea l, ge ts conve r ted to f at
d i re c t ly, and would t ake 45
m i nu te s of joggi ng to b ur n
o ff. As k your s e lf, is it really
wo r t h i t?
S o fa r, s o good. Youve
a r r i ve d at you r layover h o tel.
Wh at n ex t?
If you want a good
body, be ready to
sacrifice a few parties
in favour of a good
nights sleep. Your
body will thank you
for it.
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
Fo r b reak f as t, fo c u s o n eg g
wh ite o m el ettes, brow n
bread to a s t, w hite o ats w ith
h o n ey an d f r u its.
Wh ite o ats o r po r r idg e is
a f ant ast ic wo r k o u t fo o d.
(Po r r idge , his to r ic al l y, was
used as p r is o n fo o d as it was
simple to co o k , and hig h in
en ergy)
Fo r lun ch: A s al ad fo r the
app et ise r , a gr il l ed c hic k en
o r f ish fo r the m ain co u r s e
an d a f ru it pl atter fo r
desser t a re the heal thies t
o pt io n s avail abl e.
Din n er : Avo id des s er ts at al l
co st s. K e ep it l ig ht.
2) 20 % exerc is e
M any o f u s g o to the g y m
regular ly, bu t we s til l l o o k
t h e same ever y year. Why ?
19
Fo c u s s ing o n j u s t the tre a d-
m il l and r u nning, by itse l f,
w il l no t s hape yo u r bo d y.
Tr y adding weig ht train-
ing to the m ix and s ee yo ur
bo dy evo l ve.
Fo r al l the wo m en read i n g
this, it is a my th that we i g ht
training w il l m ak e yo u
m u s c l e bo u nd l ik e m en .
Lig ht weig ht training w i l l
to ne yo u r bo dy and m a k e
yo u m o re agil e.
A g o o d per s o nal traine r
pl ays a big ro l e in k eep i n g
yo u m o tivated to exer-
c is e, af ter tho s e gr u el l i n g 4
s ec to r f l ig hts. I nves t in o n e.
3 ) 1 0 % S l eep
Yo u r bo dy is l ik e a batte r y. I t
needs to be c harg ed.
20 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

drops to just 9.5%. At

that altitude, the human
b o d y wo u l d nt s u r v i ve fo r
more than 10-15mins and
would suffer from hypoxia.

After spending 2 days in

Leh adapting to the high
altitude, we set off for
Chang--Ma at 13087ft.

Climb High, Sleep Low - that s

what we did. Next morning,
we left for Mankorma at

TO S TO K
1 42 00 f t. Lu c k il y we m a n a g e d
to get a good spot to pitch
o u r t e n t s . I t w a s n t t h e s u n -
nies t o f days and by e ve n i n g
the entire sky was overcast

KANGRI
with winds blowing so furi-
ously that we were scared
theyll uproot our tents.

I had specially carried our

National Flag for 15th August.
A s p o r t s an d f i tn ess enth u si a st, Cap t ain Yash Ever yone gathered together
S i d h u l ove s to go fo r ma rath o n s and t reks. in the morning and hoisted
He s t ar te d ru n n i n g a f ter h e moved to Bangalore the national flag over our tent
l as t O c to b er. s inging o u r N atio nal Ant h e m .
H i s fi rs t t rek wa s th e Ch a a da r Trek in Lad ak h, I t was o ne o f the m o st ex h i l-
fo r wh ich he sta r ted tra i n i n g to b uild st am ina. arating moments- standing
H i s fi rs t h i gh a l ti tu de cl i mbi n g ex p ed it ion was amongst mighty Himalayan
j u s t a fe w mo nth s a go. peaks and watching the
Ti r a n g a f l y h i g h i n m o u n t a i n
air. All of us were pumped with
a lot of adrenaline and couldnt
wait to conquer the peak.
It was bone chilling cold. I had
l a n d e d i n L e h 5 d a y s e a r l i e r, At 11:30 am, we were informed
where I joined my friends, Jasnit, that a trek ker had fallen down
Nakul, Devanshu and Martin. from the mountain shoul-
der o n his way dow n a n d t h e
At sea level t h e u s abl e ox yg en is 2 1% Indian Army has been called in
but when you go up to 11480ft, the fo r a res c u e m is s io n. We were
same drops to only 14.3% . Climb a l l wo r r i e d fo r h i s s a fe t y b u t
further to 20187 ft and the same u ndeter red f ro m o u r g o a l. We
 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 21

were scheduled to leave our The challenge was only half

camp at 21:30 pm as the climb complete- descending on a
wo u l d ta ke 8- 9 ho urs an d t h e A lo t o f gro u p hu g s and hig h- 75 degree slope of melting
last 3000 ft was 75 degree fives followed. Everything ice after being awake all
inline on a glacier; we couldnt around me was below me. night with no water - well
r i s k c l i m b i n g w h e n t h e s n ow The entire team making it that s a s to r y that w il l b e to l d
over the glacier would star t to the top is unheard of in s o m e o t h e r t i m e ! We s e t o u t
melting under the sun. the Stok Climbing Circuit; to conquer a mountain but
our trek leader had done 18 we came back humbled by
At around midnight, we hit expeditions before this but it and in the end conquered
the glacier and thus began never had he had a 100% our will, strength and belief
t h e t o u g h e s t p a r t o f c l i m b. success rate till the 19th that nothing is impossible.
We c r o s s e d o n e o f t h e m o s t time, when 5 of us pushed
difficult obstacles -a metre e a c h o t h e r t o re a c h 2 0 1 8 7 f t .
wi d e m ountai n sh o ulder- an d
a ll o f us jus t s at down , phys- We t o o k a f e w p i c t u r e s a n d
ically and mentally tired. video s; s o m e o f u s were l u c k y
enough to get network to
I looked around and by ever y- c a l l h o m e f r o m 2 0 1 8 7 f t . We
o n es expre s s i on , it was clear c o u l d n t s t a y l o n g e r d u e t o
that the same question was ver y low levels of ox ygen
going through their mind- a n d w i t h i n 1 0 m i n u t e s ,
why are we doing this? we star ted our descent.
We g u l p e d s o m e m o re w a t e r
which had almost frozen
b y n o w, a t e s o m e a l m o n d s
a n d t h a t s w h e n s o m e o n e
pointed towards the east.
There was a light orange
hue over the horizon and
w e s a w t h e f i r s t fe w s u n r a y s
hitting the slope above us.

White snow-covered peaks

slowly star ted to get engulfed
in bright orange. That was the
motivation we needed and
before we k new, ever yone was
up and ready to go, revitalised
by t he s i ght of t h e r isin g sun .

Fi na lly we re a c h ed t h e to p at At the peak . We set out to conquer a mountain but came back
around 7 am. I t took a moment humbled by it and in the end conquered our will, strength and
for us to realise what we had just belief that nothing is impossible.
achieved. Ever yone was quiet.
22 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
OF FINDING
HOME
Ca pt ain Pr i yan k a S o n i h a d to wa i t for 5 year s b efore she could sp onsor her fir s t
ex pe d it i o n - b ut boy, wa s i t wo r th the wait ! Here is t he stor y of her fir st p rop e r t re k
Ca n on e d e f i ne ha p p i ne s s ?
I t hin k n ow I c a n. . .
There was not e ve n a si n g l e m o m e nt w h e n my d i m ples
we rent vi si b l e a nd my e ye s we re nt fu l l o f joy.
Pr iyan k a co m es f ro m a tra-
dit io n a l G u j rati f am il y o f
16 member s. S ince c hil d-
h o o d she was tau g ht that
gir ls are m eant to do o nl y
cer t ain k inds o f wo r k and
t h ey sho u l d s tic k to it. That
bro ught o u t the rebel in
h er. S o natu ral l y, s he did
ever yt h ing s he did ever y-
t h in g sh e was to l d no t to -
r idin g, dr iv ing, pl ay ing
sp o r t s, tal k ing to g u ys, ho r s e
r idin g and travel l ing al o ne
was o n to p o f the l is t!
Sh e h ad to wait fo r 5 year s
befo re s he co u l d s po n s o r
her f ir s t expeditio n- b ut b oy,
was it wo r th the wait! H e r
f ir s t pro per trek was to Mt
K anam o, w ith M s B ac h e n d r i
Pal. Pr iyank a des c r ibe s h e r
exper ience.
I real l y w is h I co u l d ex p re s s
even rem o tel y w hat I ex p e -
r ienced in the 10 days
o f my expeditio n. I t wa s
dem anding, s trenu o us,
yet s o am azing ! At eve r y
c l im b s tar ting f ro m 50 0 0 f t
to 19 60 0 f t I co u l d s ee t h e
c hang es in my bo dy a n d

wa s e q ua lly s u r p r ised by
how huma n body reac t s. I
re m em be r that wh en we f irst
c l i m be d to 1600 0 f t to accli-
m at i ze ou r bodies, I was
nu mb a nd out o f b reat h .
An d the n I fe lt l ik e I was
H O ME. Eve r y d ay wh en I used
to wa ke up a nd un zip my
te nt, I u s e d to be sur p r ised
by t h e be a u t y o f n at ure. Each
m o untai n had a dif ferent
c h a r m; e a c h one h ad a dif fer-
e nt stor y to te ll. B ach en dr i
Pa l- what a woman - ver y
p owe r ful, ve r y in f luent ial
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
an d ex trem el y deter m ined.
At t h e a g e o f 62 s he was the
f astest c l im ber. S he dec l ared
me, t h e wo m an o f the expe -
dit io n Co u l d there be any
bet ter feel ing in l ife? I think
n o t.
Fo r my nex t 28 - day j o u r ney
in t h e m o u ntains, I trained
at Neh ru I ns titu te o f
M o unt a ineer ing. I never
t h o ught I co u l d s u s tain in
such ex trem e co nditio ns
but I h ave co m e o u t o f this
so h ap py and s atis f ied that
I feel n o s ham e in s ay ing
23
that I am ex trem el y pro ud
o f mys el f. The initial d ays o f
the training inc l u ded a l o t o f
phys ic al exerc is es and c l i m b -
ing co u pl e o f hil l s w it h 1 5
k g s l o ad o n the bac k .
I co u l dnt bel ieve eve r y t i m e
I l o o k ed dow n, af ter a t i r i n g
c l im b, how f ar Id co me. I l o s t
al l my fear and gradu a l l y,
it fel t l ik e the ro c k s gui d e d
m e to its ho l ds and bo ul-
der s. Thes e 2 8 days pus h e d
m e into a new direc tio n a n d
I have now s tar ted to d re a m
m o re; dream big g er.
24 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

turned to them during her

moments of gr ief, sor row
a n d e v e n j o y, f i n d i n g s o l a c e
in their unconditional love.

CARE, an animal welfare

NGO was started in 2013
by the amazing and inspi-
rational Sudha Narayanan.
Sudha felt the need for a
s pace that no t o nl y provi d e d
s hel ter to anim al s in di s t re s s,
but, was also able to give
them state -of-the -ar t veter-

SPREADING
inar y ser vice and after care.

C h a r l i e, t h e m a i n i n s p i r a t i o n
behind CARE was a three-
l e g g e d c a n i n e w h o p ro v i d e d

LO V E
Th e wor ld is a bet ter pla ce
because of a nima l we lfa re NGO s
like C ARE. I ma r vel at the ir sen se o f
com p ass ion. guinea pigs, and even two pigs
- Captain A a sht i Sindhu
Captain Aashti Sindhu started vol-
u n t e e r i n g a t C h a r l i e s A n i m a l
Rescue Centre (CARE) in September
of 2016 after a few months of
debating how she could contrib-
ute to animal welfare in Bangalore.
Dogs played a vital role in her teenage
and adolescent years as she invariably
animal therapy to specially
abled children. Although
Charlie passed away in
late 2016, his memory and
spirit continue to live on.
Fl a s h fo r w a r d t o 2 0 1 7 , C A R E
has now moved to a bigger
and well-equipped facil-
ity that houses close to 150
anim al s inc l u ding do g s, c at s,
named Snuffles and Maggie!
Spending a day at CARE is
al m o s t m agic al to any a n i m a l
l o v e r. T h e e n t r a n c e o f t h e
reception where Dash, an
abandoned Labrador wel-
co m e s yo u w i t h a wa g a n d i f
yo ure l u c k y a l ic k , to th e p e r-
manent resident enclosure
where Cinnamon -a brown and
w hite I ndie, watc hes ove r t h e
visitors keeping her fellow
res idents in c hec k . B l ack i e - a
 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 25

t hre e le gge d, one eyed black requires a volunteer to pay

Po m e r a n i a n g u a r d s t h e O P D
li k e a hawk , whi le t h e sk illed
vet s pe r for m the ir dut ies. M y
favo ur i te i s Lu c y, t h e k in dest
three-legged beauty who
always puts a smile to my face.
I f t h e re i s o n e t h i n g yo u c a n
g e t f r o m a d a y a t C A R E i t s
that although these animals
have suffered a great deal,
their spirit is unbroken!
Volunteer duties at C ARE
involve bathing, brush-
ing and walking dogs,
cleaning the shelter when
re q u i re d and s oc ializin g wit h
the puppies and kittens.
Rs 1000 a month towards
the welfare of an animal
and can even visit them at
the shelter on weekends.
What I love most about
CARE is that the founders
and everyone involved do
a great job of making you
feel welcome and at home.
I marvel at their sense of
compassion and benevo-
lence towards these animals
an d k n ow that the wo r l d is a
better place because of them!

Most of the animals at

CARE are abandoned and/
or gravely injured. These
animals are rescued by the
in-house CARE ambulance,
re h a bi li tate d and t h en h o pe -
fully re-homed through
the process of adoption.

The adoption drives have been

q u i te s ucce s s ful in B an galo re
a s a l o t o f p e o p l e a re re a l i z -
ing the ill effects of the breed-
ing industry and choose to
adopt a pet instead of con-
tributing to the inhumane
practices being followed by
m o st of the bre e ders in I n dia.

If volunteering is not an
option, CARE also has an initia-
t i ve c a l l e d Pa s s i ve Ad o p t i o n .

Most of the animals are

passively adopted which
26 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

PROJEC T BY INDIGO
BANDHAN -

There were smiles and laughs all around as we interac ted

with each table and made them feel young once again, all the
while feeling content with joy that was spread around us. As
Theodore R oosevelt once said D o what you can, with what you

Th ere co m es a tim e in a per- to nu m ero u s initiative s t h at

so ns life w here they l o o k
fo r greater m eaning in their
ex isten ce; a g es tu re w hic h
co uld may be hel p m ak e their
lives more m eaning f u l.
Har vest i ng this tho u g ht in
a p erso ns hear t hel ped u s
pro mo te an initiative that
h elps f ul f il l it.
Co r p o rate s o c ial res po n-
sibilit y o r C S R in s ho r t,
t h o ugh a n o bl ig ato r y
requirement fo r aco m pany
towards s o c iet y, gives r is e
hel p im prove the l ives o f
peo pl e to u c hed by it, o n e
exam pl e being the B a n d h a n
pro j ec t by I ndig o that f a c i l i-
tated training 60 0 des t i t ute
wo m en and inc reas ing t h e i r
averag e inco m e to Rs 4 8 0 0 / -
per m o nth f ro m Rs 1 00 0 / -
per m o nth.
I n additio n to the m ain-
s tream C S R initiatives by t h e
HR team , we the f l y ing f ra-
ter nit y now have an o p p o r-
tu nit y to ac tivel y par ti c i p ate
in a c au s e w hic h was e a r l i e r

i nte n de d for ne w ent rant s o r
d es i gnate d te a ms. O win g to
t h e natu re of the busin ess
a n d t he lac k of availab il-
i t y o f pi lots at a l l t imes, it
wa s pla nne d to o rgan ize an d
co n d uc t C SR e vent s fo r t h e
Flt O ps te a m at each base.
The f i r s t s u c h a c t ivit y o rga-
n i zed by the B e ngaluru
Flt o ps C SR te a m was at
S u m a nga li S e va Ash ram o n
2 4 -0 3 - 2017. E s tab lish ed in
t h e ye ar 1975, th e ash ram
wa s d e di c ate d to f acilit ate
se r v i ce s for d own t ro dden
d es e r te d wome n, o r ph an ed
chi l dre n a nd e con o mi-
ca lly we ake r pe r so n s o f t h e
so ci et y.
J o i n ed by a group o f 21 f ro m
I n d i go on a Fr i d ay mo r n in g,
t h e d ay be gan wit h int ro -
d u c t i ons ; the s heer joy in
t h e e ye s of the ch ildren to
se e us i nte re s te d in t h eir
l i ves humble d u s. We were
With two successful
events gone by , we
now look forward
to your unwavering
support
participation, help
and motivation
for many more to
come.
CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
t h en sp ec tato r s to a beau-
t if ul dan ce, by the tal ented
k ids. Th e day co ntinu ed w ith
o n e - o n - o ne interac tio n w ith
us grow ing m o re interes ted
in t h eir l ives and as piratio ns
an d t h em in o u r s. We al s o
h ad t h e pl eas u re o f s po n-
so r in g lunc h fo r the c hil-
dren , ser v ing and s har ing a
meal with them that s tar ted
wit h a prayer thank ing the
almight y and being gratef u l
fo r t h e fo o d o n their pl ates.
Th e day c am e to an end w ith
t h e ch ild ren being s u r pr is ed
wit h so m e del ic io u s co l d
ice cream o n a ho t af ter-
n o o n , dis tr ibu tio n o f no te
bo o ks, crayo ns and co l o u r
pen cils. The over w hel m ing
emo t io ns that o ne exper i-
en ces in m o m ents s u c h as
t h ese, is tr u l y ardu o u s to be
ex presse d in wo rds.
O ur seco nd event s aw u s
meet in g the hal e and hear t y
27
fo l k s o f Littl e S is ter s o f Th e
Po o r - a c har itabl e ins t i-
tu tio n w ho s e m is s io n i s to
o f fer the needies t el de r l y
o f ever y race and rel igi o n
a ho m e. We ar r ived at L S P
w ith gif ts fo r the event s we
had pl anned fo r the re s i-
dents and were greete d by
S is ter J o s ephine w ho i nvi te d
u s to m eet and s pend t i m e
w ith the 8 0 pl u s res ide nt s
w ho had ar r ived there e a g e r
to m eet the pil o ts in th e i r
S u nday bes t.
Af ter a q u ic k ro u nd o f i nt ro -
du c tio ns, the s enio r s wa nte d
to g et dow n to bu s ines s
- The bu s ines s o f pl ay i n g
TAM B OLA . The res ident s
tho ro u g hl y enj oyed th e
g am e that fo l l owed fo r t h e
nex t 4 5 m inu tes, s o m u c h s o
that they ref u s ed to g o fo r
l u nc h and the g am e co nt i n-
u ed fo r 1 5 m o re m inu te s. We
were s u r ro u nded by j oy a n d
s m il es al l the tim e.
28 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo
FIRST OFFICER EDSEL
MIRANDA, BASED OUT
O F B A N G A LO R E , WA I T E D
FOR 8 YEARS FOR HIS
D R E A M J O B.
P R I O R TO H I S
ENGAGEMENT WITH
I N D I G O, H E U S E D
TO W O R K W I T H
A I R O DY N A M I K S
AV I AT I O N T E C H N I C A L
A D V I S O R Y. H I S
EXPERIENCE IN THE
F I E L D O F AV I AT I O N G O E S
M U C H B E YO N D J U S T
F LY I N G A N A 320.
B E YO N D F LY I N G
We pr im ar il y deal t w i t h
Air po r t D es ign and Pl a n n i n g,
Hel ipo r t D es ign and
Pl anning and Tow n Pl a n n i n g
w ith R es pec t to Av iat i o n .
Wo r k ing in M u m bai t h e re
was no t m u c h s co pe fo r
l ateral devel o pm ent o f p ro j-
ec ts ; hence the o nl y way wa s
u p!
The par tner s in o u r co m p a ny
real is ed that in M u mb a i
there was s co pe fo r re d e ve l-
o pm ent and s l u m re h a b i l i-
tatio n pro j ec ts. S l u m s we re
s u f fer ing hindrances d ue to
l ac k o f tec hnic al k now l e d g e
and pro per repres ent at i o n
s o we wo r k ed o n im p rovi n g
that.
O ther than tow n pl a n n i n g,
we wo r k ed w ith s o m e p r i vate
co m panies to s et u p h e l i-
pads and hel ipo r ts i n t h e
M aharas htra area. An o t h e r
m aj o r pro j ec t was th e
S al al ah I nter natio na l Ai r p o r t
Pro j ec t, w here we c a r r i e d
o u t S afet y R is k As s es s m e nt
fo r N ew Ru nway Lig ht s
D ev iatio n & an o pini o n p a p e r
o n Ru nway S u r f ace Tex t ure
D ev iatio n.
I n my tim e s pent wa i t i n g
fo r an air l ine o ppo r t un i t y, I
had the pl eas u re o f wo r k i n g
w ith br ig ht m inded i n d i vi d-
u al s that o pened u p a w h o l e
new avenu e o f av iat i o n t h at I
am ver y gratef u l fo r t i l l d ate.
I bel ieve there is a l o t m o re
to l ear n bo th ins ide a n d
o u ts ide the co c k pit.
 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 29

HORNBILL P U S H K A R FA I R
F E S T I VA L
W H E R E :
W H E R E : N a galan d BEST FESTS Pu s hk ar, R aj as than
W H E N : Fi r s t week WHEN:
D e ce mbe r O c to ber 2 8-N ovem b e r 4 ,
2 01 7

 n to p o f the 11
O
E P COT F O O D & TcoHu ntr
E ies
F Uper
L Lm anent l y
W I N E F E S T I VA L . M O Oented
repres N PA in RE PTCOT
Y s
Wo r l d S howc as e, th e
WHERE: W
fesHtival
E R E : hig hl ig hts fo o d
O r la ndo, Flor ida - U SA Kando h beverag
Phang an, e Thail
o f fer ianngds
WHEN: f roHm
W E N1:9 o ther natio n s at
3 1 Au gu s t - 13 themyed
Ever m os nth!
tal l s.
N ove mbe r 2017

Inc l u des fes tival s an d

D
MIAAGDNEE TLO I CS M E V L AasNwel
parades, A l as
M
F IU
E LE DR TO
S - S W H I RingLsI N
g ather of G
f am il i e s
ALSISAR Dat E
cemR Veter
I Sies
H EtoSpray
MHAE RHE : A L
W fo r their deceas ed l ove d
M exi co Ci t y W
o nes
H E Rat
E : the end o f t h e
WWHHEENR :E : K
day.
o nya - Tu r k ey
3S1heOkchawati
tobe r -, R2 ajast h an WHEN:
N Wove
HEN mbe: D er ce
2017
mber 7 - 17 D ecem ber 2 0 1 7

Yo u ng co u pl es drap e d i n
LOY K R AT H O N G K R A Mnal
traditio P UfSinerN Ay,CgH at T
her
& YI PENG  aro u nd l ak es, r iver s a n d
c anal s to pay res pec t s
WHERE: to
W Hthe
E R Eg: oTy
ddes
ro l -s Au
o f swate
tria r
C h i ang M ai - Th ailan d by
W HlEau
N nc
: 5 hing
D ecem o f ber
the 2 0 1 7
WHEN: K ratho ng into the wate r.
N ove mbe r 2017
30 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo

HEARTFELT
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THESE INDIGO
Captain VK Murthy retired on 10th
MEMBERS October 2017 after an amazing career.
Congratulations Dad! Retirement is a
reward, and from a soldier to a commander
youve always led from the front. May this
reward give you as much joy and peace as
the many decades of hard work did for you.
Love, your Kids.
Captain Thomas Kurian completed 10 years
in IndiGo after serving the Indian Air Force
for 27 years. He has seen the airline grow
and has made a lot of good memories. I
always thank God for guiding me to the
right airline- for when in 2007, airlines like
Kingfisher and Deccan were at their prime,
I still chose IndiGo and it was one of the
best decisions I made.

Captain Bhanu Prakash and Captain Megha Captain Vaibhav Rathore was blessed with Captain Abhishek Ghag got married
Shah were blessed with twins. Girl (on the a baby boy, Maan Singh Rathore on 7th to Anupriya Sharma on 02/10/2017
right) is named Reva and boy is Rugved. September. She works as project director for The
Both are born on 23-Sept. Foundation, an NGO based in Mumbai.

Akshansh Jain, son of Captain Akash Jain, has made his family proud by securing
gold medal and a position in top 20 students in Kumon. Kumon is a worldwide center
of self-learning classes for Maths and English, originated from Japan, established
within India and Sri Lanka. A standard II student in DPS Bangalore, at a tender age of
7, Akshansh is known for his confidence, not only in the field of mathematics, but in
his overall work habits in school. The credit for his success goes to his hardwork and
perseverance that he learnt from Kumon. Currently, he is 3 years ahead in Maths and
6 months ahead in English from his school level. He loves helping his classmates. He
is also a badminton and chess player. Apart from that, ee is learning Taekwondo and
has achieved green belt so far. He loves to learn new games with the same energy
and passion. He follows his family closely and aims to do best in everything he does.
 CHOCKS ON Magazine | IndiGo 31

C AM E R A S HY!

SURBHI GROVER NEHA RAWAT BATTISH MS. AMANDA

Editor - Hatchling in aviation, she has been Illustrator - Wife of Captain Rohitash Bat- Contributing Editor - wife of F/O Nikhil
in IndiGo for one year. Her motto in life is tish, she has been freelancing since 2015 Nath, she is a freelance digital content
simple: fly, travel and write! and has her own range of merchandise. strategist and writer.

CO N T R I B U TO R S

SHREYA DALELA AMAN ARORA PRADEEP KRISHNAN

Designer - Passionate about art, design and Cover Designer - An IT expert working in Cover Photographer - A keen photogra-
writing, she creates her own merchandise Dubai, Aman Arora also does freelance pher and fitness enthusiast, he loves to
under the brand Speaking Walls. work in graphic designing. travel. He got his CPL in 2009.