DMK MP and former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran was pleasantly surprised when he came to know that fellow parliamentarian Rajiv Pratap Rudy was the pilot of his flight from New Delhi to Chennai.
Dubbing it "A Flight to Remember," Maran, in a series of tweets on late Tuesday evening, shared his experience on his flight back to Chennai from New Delhi after attending a meeting of Parliament's Estimates Committee.
"A Flight to remember. July 13, 2021, I boarded the Indigo flight 6E864 from Delhi to Chennai after attending a meeting of the parliamentary Estimates Committee. I happened to sit in the first row, as the crew declared that the boarding had completed.
"'So you are traveling in this flight as well!' said a person dressed in the Captain's uniform. I could not recognize him with his mask on, although his voice sounded familiar. I nodded my head, still wondering who it could be.
"He looked at me and his eyes gave away the smile behind the mask. 'So you don't recognize me!' he exclaimed. I realized then that it was none other than my colleague, senior member of parliament and former Union Minister - my very good friend Thiru Rajiv Pratap Rudy."
From politician to pilot
Maran noted that two hours ago, Rudy was also present in the meeting of the Estimates Committee and he could not believe his "transformation".
"Just 2 hours ago, he and I were part of intense discussions at the Estimates Committee and now I couldn't believe my eyes, seeing his transformation from a politician to a pilot," the DMK MP said.
"I was pleasantly surprised and told Rudyji that I couldn't believe that he was going to be the captain flying us from Delhi to Chennai. He laughed and said 'Yes, I noticed that you didn't recognize me, I fly frequently'."
Maran said: "I could only say that I was honoured to be flown by my good friend and colleague. Rudyji also served as a Minister of State, when my father was the Union Minister for Commerce."
"A flight to remember indeed. How often does a sitting Member of Parliament captain a commercial flight? I'm sure I will be talking about this for a long time. Thank you Captain @RajivPratapRudy, MP for flying us safely from Delhi to Chennai."
(With inputs from IANS)
