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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved...

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved up and revived in the past few years, AI official sources said.   It marked a symbolic milestone for Air India itself - founded in 1932 by the legendary Bharat Ratna J. R. R. Tata - which once ruled the roost and was India’s pride in the global skies.   Once renowned for its royal service with the iconic Maharaja welcoming fliers on board, in 1953 it was taken over by the government of India. After years of piling losses, ageing aircraft, decline in operations and standards – almost like a Maharaja turning a pauper - it returned to the Tata Group four years ago.   This time it was not just the aircraft, the brand and the deflated Maharaja coming into the large-hearted Tata Group stables, but a formidable challenge to ensure that the airline could regain its old glory and glitter. Of the total around 190 aircraft in its fleet were 30 – or 15 pc – that had been grounded and neglected for years.   At that time, the late Ratan N. Tata had directed that all these valuable aircraft must be revived as far as possible and join the fleet. Accordingly, the VT-ALL, languishing at Nagpur for nearly five years, was ‘hospitalized’ at the Air India Engineering Service Ltd., its MRO facility in May 2025.   New Avatar Then started a thorough, painstaking nose-to-tail restoration of an unprecedented scale, in which over 3000 critical components were replaced, over 4,000 maintenance tasks executed, besides key structural upgrades like the longeron modification, engines, auxiliary power units, avionics, hydraulics, landing gears and almost every vital system was rebuilt or replaced.   After the repairs, the old aircraft was reborn, under the gaze of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and technical assistance from Boeing, and the new ‘avatar’ jetliner emerged with the highest global safety standards.   The aircraft cleared all the rigorous checks, a successful test flight, earned the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate and then made its maiden commercial flight from Monday, March 16 – after a wait of six years.   Sturdy Fliers Created in 1946 to become an instant global icon, the Air India’s mascot Maharaja now sports a youthful and chic look, a welcome with folded hands, closed eyes, featuring a bejewelled turban, stylish jootis, and a textured kurta in Air India’s new colours. He is prominently visible at various touch-points in a flyer’s journey, such as First Class, exclusive lounges, and luxury products.   Today, he commands a mix fleet of around 190 narrow and wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft like : A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo, A350-900 and B787-8, B787-9, B7770200LR, B-777-300ER. With the merger of Vistara and agreements signed for 10 A350 and 90 A320 aircraft, the Maharaja’s fleet is slated to soar to some 570 in the near future.

India’s Innovation Moment: From Pokhran to Pahalgam, the Power of Self-Reliance

India’s technological journey is no longer just about might, but about meaning where science uplifts society, not just secures it.

On May 11, India celebrates National Technology Day, a date that marks the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests. But the meaning of this day runs deeper than a memory of a single achievement. It is a time to reflect on how far we’ve come in building a science- and technology-driven society that is inclusive, forward-looking, and scientifically empowered.


This year, the day holds particular significance. Just a few days ago, the nation mourned the lives lost in the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, a painful reminder that peace is fragile and national security must be constantly safeguarded. In its wake, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in a strategic signal of changing geopolitical posture and launched Operation Sindoor, a firm but measured response targeting cross-border terrorist camps. These events put into sharp focus the need for a strong scientific and technological foundation, not only for defence, but also for national development, environmental stewardship and social progress.


India’s experience shows that technology must not only advance capabilities but also strengthen our capacity for self-reliance and build bridges across sectors and communities. We are a young and diverse country, where many still lack access to modern infrastructure, digital services, and essential amenities. In this context, technology must serve not just the privileged few but the wider public. It must be local, affordable, and meaningful.


This means creating AI tools in Indian languages, developing solar-powered systems for remote villages, ensuring clean water for drought-prone areas, and using telemedicine for underserved populations. It also requires policies that support grassroots innovation and align scientific research with practical, community-level impact.


India has already taken firm steps. Programs like ‘Digital India,’ ‘Make in India’ and the ‘Atal Innovation Mission’ have created fertile ground for inclusive growth. Young innovators are now building drones to help small farmers, developing diagnostic tools for rural clinics, and designing green technologies for everyday use. More than 85 percent of patents filed by Indian institutions in the past five years have come from researchers under the age of 30—a clear sign of our growing innovation potential.


But science cannot focus only on inclusion; it must also be sustainable. India has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and reduce its carbon intensity by 45 percent by 2030. These targets are bold and require technologies that are resource-efficient, renewable and resilient to disruption. From electric mobility and solar expansion to waste-to-energy and smart agriculture, we are seeing encouraging signs. Yet much remains to be done in developing circular models, strengthening indigenous capabilities, reducing dependence on imported raw materials, and expanding domestic research in critical technologies.


India’s nuclear journey has long symbolised its scientific independence. As Mohamed ElBaradei observed in his book The Age of Deception, India’s nuclear programme was guided by restraint and transparency - traits that built our credibility in the global scientific community. Today, our reputation rests not just on defence capability but on public trust, ethical conduct, and institutional openness. We’ve shown this through global contributions in space, vaccines, digital public infrastructure, and affordable healthcare solutions.


As we celebrate our achievements, we must also recognise the challenges. Rapid technological change, if left unchecked, can widen inequality and create new divides. It is vital to strengthen science education, particularly in underrepresented regions. Long-term, curiosity-driven research must receive the same attention as applied projects. We must encourage independent thinking and reward persistence and not just short-term results. And we need to open more doors for women and historically marginalised communities to lead in science, technology, and innovation.


Equally important is the need to bring science closer to people’s lives. Public understanding of science, transparent communication, and informed debate around new technologies such as AI and genomics are essential to ensure that technology serves society and not just markets. We must foster a culture where scientific knowledge is not confined to laboratories but becomes part of classrooms, communities, and public policy.


The Pahalgam attack and India’s measured response through Operation Sindoor underline the critical importance of national security. But as we reflect on these developments, we must also acknowledge that neither terrorism nor counterterrorism offer a sustainable path forward. Both are grounded in confrontation, not construction. In contrast, sustainable technologies address root causes, expand opportunity and build long-term resilience. They remind us that security is not only about military strength, but also about societal stability, trust in institutions and the inclusive power of ideas.


As we mark this National Technology Day, let us remember that Pokhran was not an end but a beginning - a declaration that India would shape its destiny through knowledge and courage. Today, that journey continues. We must move beyond narrow goals and build a future where technology reflects our values, reinforces our self-reliance, responds to our realities, and raises our collective aspirations.


If we stay committed to that vision, we will not only empower India, but also inspire the world.

(The author is the former Director, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune; Visiting Professor, IIT Bombay. Views personal)

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