Despite travelling on a flight becoming one of the most common modes of travel, it is still a dream for many sections of society. People from economically disadvantaged groups and those from the lower middle class often dream of travelling on a plane someday, an aspiration they know may never be realised due to the high plane fares. One among the many people who aspired to sit on a flight someday was Pandiyammal from Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu.
Pandiyammal, a middle-aged woman who spent much of her life making both ends meet, had a grand desire to travel by aeroplane someday. Her son Muthuppandi is serving in the Indian Army. Since Muthuppandi lost his father at an early age, he was brought up by Pandiyammal alone, along with his sister, Iswari.
Like many others from middle-class backgrounds, Pandiammal harboured a longstanding dream of taking flight. Whenever her son visited Madurai by flight for various errands, Pandiyammal would stand near the airport on the Madurai Ring Road, gazing at the aeroplanes, and inquiring of his son about their workings and how they soared.
Recognising his mother’s aspiration to experience flying, Muthuppandi went above and beyond by arranging for both his mother and Iswari to take a flight. He also treated them to journeys to destinations such as Chennai, Delhi, Kashmir, Srinagar, and Gulmarg, all by flight. Muthuppandi captured his mother’s inaugural flight experience on video and shared it on his Instagram page. Both Pandiyammal and Iswari were reduced to tears when they set foot inside the aeroplane for the first time.
Reflecting on the video’s viral spread, Muthuppandi remarked, “I had set out to make my mother’s dream come true by taking her and my sister on a plane journey. Seeing the joy on my mother’s face during her first flight made it feel like we had accomplished something truly special.”
Explore in-depth coverage of voting in Telangana , Odisha , and Andhra Pradesh during Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 4 polling.
Comments
0 comment