Captain GR Gopinath says, ‘I have always found immense pleasure and solace in great short stories and novels.’ , photo credit: special arrangement
Captain GR Gopinath has played many roles as an Indian Army officer, politician, entrepreneur, aviation pioneer and farmer. In his recent book, Our India: Reflections on the Between and Between a Nation, he gives a perspective on various topics as a concerned citizen. Excerpts from an interview.
Our India: Reflections on the Between and Between a Nation, Captain GR Gopinath, HarperCollins, ₹599.
The essays in the book, under the sections ‘Enterprise’, ‘Society and Governance’, ‘Politics’ and ‘Musings’, provide perhaps an almost complete view of the issues. Yet, you hesitate to ‘put on the robes of an oracle’ to pick a line from the book. Looks like you haven’t spared anyone.
Yes, my comment about not wanting to ‘become an oracle’ was specific to the future of aviation during COVID-19 which has changed the world. Although it would be proud of me to play the role of an astrologer! I have covered a diverse range of topics. I have been in the army, dabbled in farming, run several small businesses from a motorcycle dealership to a Udupi hotel, founded airlines and contested two state and central elections. I was also the president of a political party at the district level. Almost all my articles are laced with anecdotes from what I have seen and experienced. There is no claim of scholarship here. This is just a layman’s attempt to present both the ‘worm view’ and the ‘helicopter picture’ as I see it. It is a palette of colors rather than a painting.
Many of the essays are sharp, and at times blunt, such as on Indian politics. You have a quote from Robert Browning’s ‘Pippa’s Song’, “Lark on the wings… Gods in Heaven, all’s right with the world!” Is everything ‘okay’ with India today?
Robert Browning’s lines were a spontaneous response to the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya-Ram temple dispute at a time when voices against the verdict were being heard from some left-leaning intellectuals, opposition parties and Muslim sections of the society. But everyone said they would respect the verdict. Heaved a sigh of relief. Of course, all is not well with India. There are many flaws in our society and politics. We can be proud of our great heritage, but we cannot ignore our present shortcomings and the injustices we face. Communal strife, casteism, gender inequality, threats to democracy, erosion of the autonomy of institutions, and poverty and unemployment should be our primary concerns. But cynicism is not the answer. We should lose ourselves in action and not in despair. We all should do what we can. We must have the generosity of spirit to admire and celebrate the beautiful, the good and the brave, even in the midst of despair.
The essays have found place and space in many dailies and sites. What was the response, as you say “the readers have nurtured you”?
Of course those who are deeply spiritual in an ‘irreligious way’ welcomed my writings. But he’s preaching to the choir. You should write about the glory of diversity and plurality so that those who are against it can be converted. You have to mix the rabid right and the rabid left. To do one must write. It is always a work in progress.
Captain GR Gopinath as Managing Director of Air Deccan (Deccan Airlines), at his office in Bengaluru. , Photo Credit: Getty Images
You have commented on the Tata story and Air India’s homecoming, but the thread running through the book is on a topic closer to you, ie aviation, and the Air Deccan saga that catapulted you into the limelight. Is there sadness? Will there be another shot at the aviation venture?
Someone asked me why I am not retiring from dreaming and starting ventures. I said it would be like asking [M.S.] Subbulakshmi will stop singing!
The book is thought-provoking, with points that reflect a certain candor. You’ve seen and experienced a lot with personal vignettes that shape your storytelling. Which direction are you going? More Essays or a Novel?
My mind is humming with stories. You can see a glimpse of it in my essays – serious essays too. I have always found immense pleasure and solace in the great short stories and novels: Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Steinbeck, Maugham, Maupassant and the great Kannada writers. But writing fiction now at my age is like going on a dangerous high seas voyage! Who knows, I might try. As Ulysses said, “I cannot rest from travel: I will drink life…”
murli.naki@thehindu.co.in