B Tech I SEM : Trailblazers: G R Gopinath

B Tech I SEM : Trailblazers: G R Gopinath

Gorur Ramaswamy Gopinath is an entrepreneur and founder of the Indian airlines ‘Air Deccan’. He is a retired captain of the Indian army, an author, a politician and a pioneer for low cost air travel within India.  
                G.R.Gopinath was born on 13^th, November 1951 in the village of Gorur in Karnataka. His father was a school teacher and farmer. When he was in fifth standard his school head master informed all the students that an admission test was going to be held in their school for those who wish to join Defence Forces. Unfortunately, Gopinath could not get through the exam as it was in English.
              The headmaster wrote a stern letter to the Ministry of Defence and pointed out how an all India test could only be conducted in English. After few days, Gopinath took the examination in Kannada and passed with flying colours. He learnt an important lesson from his headmaster that a person must be proactive to steer things one’s way, which he would remember for the rest of his life.
             Later, when he was commissioned as a captain in the Indian army, he took part in Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. He left the Indian army and purchased ten acres of barren land. He received the Rolex Laureate award for establishing an ecologically sustained sericulture farm. It was a good example of his grit and confidence. He started Malnad Mobikes, which supplied Enfield motor cycles. He opened a hotel in Hasan. He contributed articles in Kannada for magazines. With his experience in agriculture and farming, he established Water Resource Management Consultancy and started supplying irrigation systems.
             After securing solid reputation, he decided to tackle the world of politics. G.R. Gopinath, A.J.Sam, and Colonel Jayanth Poovaiah together started Deccan Aviation, the low-cost airline carrier in India. His business expanded and under the banner of LCC ,developed into a major player in the air industry. He received the “Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur”, the highest civilian award conferred by the French government.
            In 2007, Air Deccan was merged with Vijay Malaya’s Kingfisher Airlines. Then he started Deccan Charters and Deccan 360, which focus on cargo and the express logistics business. The future lies wide open for G.R. Gopinath.