Proud moment: Family members of pilot flying maiden passenger plane to Ayodhya

PTI, Dec 30, 2023, 11:22 AM IST

It is a proud moment for the family, says 75-year-old Mukteshwar Singh as his son in the next few hours will pilot the first commercial passenger plane to the new airport here after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Forty-three-year-old Captain Ashutosh Shekhar is a pilot with Indigo, and after the airport is opened, his flight from New Delhi (2:40 pm) is schedule to land here at 4 pm.

Besides the airport, Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate the city’s railway station, days ahead of the consecration of the Ram temple. The event on January 22 is expected to be attended by thousands of people. ”Lord Ram has been kind to us,” said Shekhar’s mother Madhurani Singh (68). ”Since the day he entered the aviation sector, it was my dream to see him flying an aircraft to Ayodhya. It has come true after 12 years. What could be more joyous than seeing a dream being fulfilled,” she said. This is a ”divine moment” also, said Mukteshwar Singh. He added that his family’s association with Ayodhya goes back four generations when his great grandfather visited the city to become a disciple of Shri Ram Vallabha Kunj Janki Ghat.

Shekhar is a disciple of Guru Shree Ram Shankar Das ji Vedanti of the city, said family members.

”It is a very emotional moment for the whole family. I believe he came into the aviation sector because of the blessings of our gurus. Today, he is flying the first aircraft to Ayodhya as the inaugural flight after the prime minister inaugurates the airport. It is a matter of great pride for the family,” Mukteshwar Singh told PTI.

Shekhar’s wife Sweta Ranjan said the flight will take off from Delhi at 2:40 pm and land at Ayodhya at 4 pm. ”It will start its return journey at 4:40 pm and will reach Delhi at 5:55 pm,” she said.

”Both my children are very happy. We believe that our happiness and prosperity in the family is by the grace of our divine association with the birthplace of Lord Ram,” she said.