The skyfarer: the woman who drove India's first 'Aero Show'
Air headquarters was always just a phone call away. Sugandha Sukrutaraj said.
Born into a family of fighter pilots, Sugandha Sukrutaraj grew up with a deep interest in aviation. As it happened, she would go onto to become the face of India's first ever Aero Show, Avia India, back in 1993. Fellow enthusiast, former PM Rajiv Gandhi, had always dreamed of an international air show, which was then conceptualised by his Doon school classmate, Anand K. Sethi. Sugandha recalls the iconic journey and the pioneers who helped make it happen.
Perhaps it was something to do with the fact that he was a pilot himself, but the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was said to be always keen on holding an international aero show in India and he got his wish in 1993 when Avia India, the country’s first aero show was conceptualised by his Doon School batchmate , Anand K Sethi, the managing director of Conventions and Expositions (CONVEX).
“It was Rajiv’s dream to organise a spectacular international show and exposition on aerospace and aviation in India and Anand stuck his neck out to make it happen. It took a lot of courage to do what he did,” says Mrs Sugandha Sukrutaraj, who, as the then regional manager of CONVEX, became fully involved in organising India’s first international aerospace and aviation exposition.
From a family of fighter pilots, the event was right up her sleeve. “My father, husband and son are pilots. Aviation is in my genes,” she says proudly .
Recalling how accessible the former chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Air Chief Marshal N C Suri, was in the run-up to the aero show that was soon to make a history, she adds, “Air Chief Marshal Suri not just organised the venue for the aero show, but went with us to meetings with the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary to the Karnataka government to help us get just about everything we needed for Avia India ’93. Air headquarters was always just a phone call away.”
Also paying tribute to Air Marshal Denzil Keelor, who was air advisor to the DGCA, she says he mentored the organisers through the year prior to the aero show. “We wouldn’t have had any international aircraft flying at Avia India’93 had Air Marshal Keelor not been able to facilitate refueling in Bangalore for aircraft that were travelling back from the Malaysian Air Show,” she reminisces.
The Karnataka government, MES, DRDO, DGCA, Span Aviation, and Claude Martin, the flight director at Le Bourget, the Paris Air Show 1993, all played their part in India hosting its first aero show.
With the information brought back from Le Bourget, Group Captain Ajit Agtey from the Air Craft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) directed the air show at Avia India’93, with precision. And the late Group Captain Niteen Gupte, managing director of Span Aviation, took charge of the complex job of ground handling the participating aircraft.
But the going was not without hiccups. Just a few days before the aero show, there was a thunderstorm in the city and the hangar started to leak but that did not stop the organisers from going ahead with this first of its kind event in the country.
“Mr. M V S Rao from Military Engineer Services (MES) worked magic right through the show. He got the hangar operational overnight and liaised with the electricity board for a direct line from Jalahalli Sub-station to Yelahanka Air Force Station to enable the huge requirement of electricity,” Mrs Sukrutaraj smiles.
With the Aeronautical Society of India under the leadership of Dr. Krishnadas Nair and Dr. K Ramchand taking full charge of the Aviation and Aerospace Convention , which brought in prominent international participation, the event got underway with all the right trappings and backing .
The IAF had offered three avenues, Air Force Academy Station Dundigal, Air Force Station Yelahanka and Air Force Station Tamabaram to conduct the show but Yelahanka was finally chosen.
“We had hoped to organise AI’93 at HAL. When things didn’t work out as planned and the Air Force offered us the three venues, Yelahanka was the obvious choice as we would have had to reinvent the wheel had we moved to Dundigal or Tambaram,” she explains.
Mrs Sukrutaraj’s Linked-In profile credits the late Thomas Abraham,the then manager at CONVEX, for the success of the show. She says he was the heart of the Bengaluru operations. “He kept our spirits up, kept the administration solid and was always there to back operations. He was an amazing colleague and friend,” she adds with gratitude.
“Avia India ’93 saw the only aero sports inclusion spearheaded by Capt. S. Ravi, now chairman and managing director of Pegasus. Who can forget the amazing display by Pop Ashok (Wg. Cdr. P Ashoka), Professor Radhakrishna and Thomas, the architect, on their powered hang-gliders? It was mesmerising!” she exults, the memory still clearly vivid.
Eventually, the state government developed the required infrastructure outside Yelahanka and in 1996, the Ministry of Defence stepped in organise the Aero India show.
Ask her if she sees any difference in the way the show is held today, she says, “Avia India ’93 was a small budget event and a huge learning experience for India. This small beginning sowed the seeds for substantial business through the years. Aero India today is a well structured event to showcase India’s aviation power with increased global participation and opportunity.”