Pilot takes off (original) (raw)

It’s a Bond theme night at New Delhi’s new jazzy pub, Steele. As the capital’s snazzy crowd moves to the 007 beats, Sachin Pilot shakes a leg with his girlfriend, the glamorous Sara Abdullah, who is the daughter of former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah.
The morning after, on a foggy winter day, Sachin Pilot wakes up at 5.30 am. Outside, on the green lawns of his residence at 20, Canning Lane, around 50 villagers from Rajasthan sip warm masala chai.

As he walks towards them, there’s a murmur amongst the group of men. For the last year-and-a-half, Sachin Pilot has been walking in his father, the late Rajesh Pilot’s footsteps.
This young politician-in-making has been stirring up some news. In the Congress circles, there’s a whisper of a new sonrise. This 26-year-old, Wharton-returned MBA, is making his political impression.
Sachin Pilot likes to fly high. In real life and in his dreams too. He likes speed and spaces. He likes the smell of his villages. He loves the whirring sound of the aircraft too.

Yet, it has been a year-and-a-half since he flew a plane. “I’ve been flying since 17. I was heart-broken when I discovered that I had bad eyesight, so I couldn’t become an air force pilot, like my dad. I was always being teased in school about being a pilot, I had become one. So, I got a licence without telling my mother. But I haven’t flown for over a year.�
As he sips warm coffee he says, “I’m not your regular politician. But then, neither was my father. I believe in doing things from my heart. I can’t fake emotions. I feel for my people, that’s why I’m happy doing this. Or else, it would be more convenient to take up a corporate job.�

Last year, at a huge public gathering in Jaipur, Sachin Pilot was initiated into the Congress party, with Bhajan Lal, Ashok Gehlot and other prominent politicians present to show their support to this young man, who looked like his father’s shadow in his signature turban. Was it difficult, making the decision to join politics? “Some things are your destiny. You can never plan anything in life. Politics doesn’t seem unnatural to me. I feel comfortable travelling to remote villages, giving speeches and meeting people. I don’t feel out of place,� adds Pilot, who went to Air Force School and did his graduation in English from St Stephen’s College, Delhi.
“After college, I worked with General Motors for two years, before going off to Wharton.� Then his father, Rajesh Pilot died in a car accident. Life changed, forever. Was it difficult coping with the loss? “Something in me died with him, I lost my best friend. But I hope I’ll make him proud. Someday. I learnt some valuable lessons from him: hard work and being transparent and down-to-earth.�
Two months after his father’s death, Sachin compiled a book of photographs on Rajesh Pilot, In Spirit Forever..., along with his elder sister, Sarika. “It was interesting fishing out those old photographs, he had been everywhere. Now, all we have are those picture memories.�
No, he didn’t immediately join politics. Rather, he went back to Wharton to complete his education. “My mother insisted that I get my degree. It hasn’t been easy for her, there was a lot of emotional strain on her.�
Back from Wharton in 2001, he opened a grill-cum-bar, Suede restaurant, with sister Sarika and brother-in-law Vishal Choudhry. “That was quite an experience. It was a creative process. Suede’s been quite a success,� says Sachin, who was also a shooter at the national level.
Politics, he feels, is a full-time job. And in his heart, he’s discovering the politics of love. Talking about the latter and his plans for marriage, he says, “Mmm... Sara and I have known each other for a long time, our families have known each other too. Maybe, we’ll get married in December, once she completes her studies. Till then, I can wait.�