Who are the best Inspiration persons for you in both Personal & Professional Life? What are the lessons you learnt from them?
In personal front, Late Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia, a doyen of Assamese literature, art and culture who has contributed enormously to our society and Mr. S. Raman, my Mathematics teacher in Indian Institute of Engineering Technology, Madras have been my constant source of inspiration throughout my life. From both of them I learnt the purpose of life and values & beliefs to lead the life. What attitude towards life I have today is the outcome of my learning from these two great personalities.
In professional front, Mr. (Late) Anuj Aggarwal, a legendary leader of Indian aviation and Mr. P.S. Nair, former CEO of IGIA New Delhi and RGIA, Hyderabad are my inspiration. I learnt management lessons from Aggarwal Sir whom I found as mentor for more than 15 years until he left us for heavenly abode during the Pandemic. Nair Sir was a key person who led and shaped the transition of Indian airports from Government set up to PPP or Private mode. Nair Sir is still my encyclopedia of Indian aviation and I keep seeking his help as and when required.
Can you share one nostalgic moment in the process of becoming successful in your journey?
I am nostalgic about the days I worked at Imphal Airport with Airports Authority of India soon after completing my training in Civil Aviation Training College, Allahabad in 1993. At that point of time Imphal has very limited operations with a few flights. We had ample of time to learn the technical aspect of an airport. I truly feel, as a navigation & communication engineer what I learnt during that time has paid me a lot in the latter part of my career. I am nostalgic about my days with Goa airport also. I was representing AAI in the organizing committee of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) during 2004-2007. I had the rare opportunity to work with legendary leader like then CM Late Manohar Parrikar. I had several nostalgic moments at IGI Airport, New Delhi too. Now-a-days, there is a term used at Delhi Airport for managing General Aviation aircrafts, called GDC (GMR DIAL Clearance) number. The term was coined by me and the procedure was established jointly by me and Ms. Kiran Jain, now COO of Jewar Airport, U.P.
What are the best quotes still you follow in your day to day life?
I firmly believe that there is no need to see the entire path of travel, traverse the next 100 metres in front of you effectively, then the new portion will appear, keep going, finally you will complete the entire path effectively. I believe if you give a little more than the expectations every time, while doing anything, it will finally bring success and fulfilment.
How do you feel when you get awards/recognitions for your work?
Awards or recognitions bring happiness and also a sense of responsibility to me. Rewards for good work is really inspiring. However, it has to be genuine.
What is your message to young entrepreneurs who wish to become influencers?
Civil Aviation as a whole is a very vibrant industry. Remaining in this industry has its own charm. Technology plays a very important role in aviation, like now-a-days, digitization is getting implemented everywhere. And, importantly, this industry does not tolerate stalemate. One has to keep himself/herself updated continuously. India, after getting National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 has brought a lot of opportunities to the entrepreneurs. Our country has the world’s highest growth of domestic passengers. We are becoming third largest aviation market soon. So opportunities are abundant.
Why can’t you share your achievements in last one decade to our readers?
Yes, in 2014, when I was working in Delhi Airport, I got an opportunity to work in the Philippines to take over the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. GMR bagged the concession contract and formed a joint consortium with Philippines’ Megawide company, called GMCAC, GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation. It was a seamless transition in 2014. Subsequently, I led the ORAT team of GMR and commissioned the newly constructed Kannur International Airport in Kerala. Commissioning was seamless in 2018. Subsequently I joined there as the first COO. I was invited to speak in the Global ORAT Summit, Singapore in 2017 and in London in 2019. It was a good recognition at International platform. In 2019 when Adani Group bagged six airports in India, I got the most coveted opportunity of my life to join Adani Group and serve the airport at my home state, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati. Before that, I worked for Mangalore and Ahmedabad Airport for a brief period during the transition. Guwahati is the Gateway to the seven states of India and has high importance and huge potential to grow. We are now zeroing in to give a state-of-the-art terminal to the nation at Guwahati. I am lucky to have the opportunity to lead the team.
