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<div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/brahmachari-1_112513123706.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img></div>Paul and (above) his letter to Dhirendra: impressed by Swami's research</div>Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari, the jet-setting yogi who forms part of the palace court of the prime minister (India Today, November 16 30. 1980), is now flying higher, and faster. Last fortnight, the beaming Swami, clad in his familiar snow-white muslin robe, proudly hopped into the cockpit of his newest toy - a Cessna Skymaster pressurised aircraft "gifted" to him by one of his myriad admirers.<br><br>The donor of this costly (Rs 28 lakh) gift, Swraj Paul, a London-based industrialist, is himself an occupant of that mysterious twilight zone between business and politics. A self-proclaimed admirer of Mrs Gandhi, a personal friend of Mohammed Ali, the boxer, and a director of the Apeejay group of industries, Paul is generally regarded as the middle man in the Gandhi family's British connections.<br><br>By happenstance, Paul had also "gifted" the ill-fated Pitts SA-2 to Sanjay Gandhi which crashed with the latter in Delhi last year. Evidently, Paul's magnanimity did not end with the Pitts tragedy. On August 27 last year, a bare two months after the incident, he offered the Cessna to Swami Dhirendra.<br><br><b>"Greatly Impressed":</b>Paul's professed intention is apparently nothing more serious than to help the Swami in better coordinating the activities of his 16 yoga teaching centres spread over the country. "I was indeed greatly impressed by your research on prevention and cure of human ailments. I also noticed that one of your serious handicaps is the coordination of your activities due to problems of transportation to your ashrams located in different parts of the country. I have been considering since then in what way we could help solve the problem and assist your society. We would be pleased to donate a suitable aircraft to your society": thus runs a lengthy letter, written by Paul to the Swami on August 21 last year.<br><br><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/brahmachari-2_112513122946.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img></div>Brahmachar:i saving time</div>Within a fortnight, on September 10, Paul followed it up with another letter asking the Swami to contact Heli Orient, the Singapore-based distributors of Cessna Skymaster, for delivery of the aircraft. "Since this aircraft is the only one of its model which is being delivered to India, we suggest that you take ample quantity of spares," advised Paul.<br><br>The paper-work progressed at supersonic speed. On October 27, the Heli Orient people wrote to the Swami to acknowledge receipt of US $350,000 (Rs 28 lakh) from Paul, and promised to deliver the twin-engine aircraft soon. Besides covering the cost of the aircraft and accessories, the cheque sent by Paul also paid for the additional engine and airframe parts, and the avionics spares. And still the distributors were left with sufficient balance - $18,187.52 (Rs 1.45 lakh) - to fly down the engineer and to put him up in New Delhi for assembly and test-flying of the aircraft.<br><br><b>Correct Clearance:</b>However, it still needed about four months to clear the customs formalities. But patience, in this case, paid. Since the Swami's Aparna Ashram is listed as a charitable institution, the usual 300 per cent customs levy on gifts from abroad was relaxed to just 16 per cent. However, the Customs Clearance Permit (no. 3060194 dated February 12,1981) carried the routine rider that the aircraft could not be "'sold or disposed of otherwise".<br><br>Thus, with its papers perfectly in order, the gleaming white-and-toffee-brown aircraft took off from Singapore last fortnight heading for Madras. An extra fuel tank was fitted for the long haul across the seas. From Madras it flew to New Delhi's Palam Airport where the customs clearance was obtained.<br><br><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/brahmachari-3_112513122946.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img></div>Facets of the Cessna's interior (from left), the plush passenger compartment, the baggage hold, and a stereo cassette deck: high-flying meditation</div>The six-seater Cessna Skymaster, as an aircraft, is just as versatile as its present owner. The twin-engine plane can climb to 20,000 feet from sea level in only 18 minutes and cruise at 205 knots per hour. It has a comfortable range of 1,155 nautical miles and a top speed of 212 knots. All these features place it a cut above the competitive makes of executive aircraft.<br><br><b>Safe:</b>However, Brahmachari, who is an accomplished flier himself, is still not taking chances with the new aircraft. Last fortnight, he hired a pilot at a fabulous salary. The pilot will undergo a brief orientation course under expert care.<br><br>The Cessna Skymaster, which is the second aircraft in Brahmachari's fleet (he already owns a single-engine Maulle-2), will be used mainly to fly the Swami from New Delhi to Mantlai, 140 km from Jammu, where he has an ashram, and Katra, in the shadow of the Vaishnodevi hills. Currently, he is building an air-strip at Katra. The Skymaster requires a very short landing or take-off run.<br><br>Apparently what weighed most with the Brahmachari is the additional safety provided by a twin-engine aircraft. It is operated on a pusher-puller system, with both engines aligned front to back instead of the conventional design of placing them sideways. "It's safe, it's easier to control. It can be manoeuvred as easily as the human body can be manoeuvred in yoga," he mused to India Today.<br><br><b>Discreet:</b>Apart from the safety factor, the Swami maintains that it will save him time. "I had to drive for four hours to reach Mantlai from Katra. I'll make it in seven minutes now," says he. It will enable him to "deliver lectures" at both the places in one morning.<br><br><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><amp-img src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/dhinrendra-4_112513122946.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img></div>Paul and (above) his letter to Dhirendra: impressed by Swami's research</div>Swraj Paul, to whose munificence he owes the aircraft, was tight-lipped when India Today spoke to him over the phone in London about this extraordinary donation. "I don't stand to gain by getting nearer to Mrs Gandhi through Dhirendra Brahmachari; it was just a voluntary donation for a good cause," said a discreetly formal Paul. Before hanging up, he piped in: "I'm not a political man, you see."<br><br>Buried in the plush comfort of the Skymaster's beige-coloured seat, his feet dug into the chestnut-brown carpet, the Swami will be flying to his ashrams every week now. "I'll carry my entire yoga kit now," he says, hoping to perform the world's costliest midair meditation.<br><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Nov 25, 2013 12:13 IST</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

indiascope

Indiascope

<div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/brahmachari-1_112513123706.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Paul and (above) his letter to Dhirendra: impressed by Swami's research</div>Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari, the jet-setting yogi who forms part of the palace court of the prime minister (India Today, November 16 30. 1980), is now flying higher, and faster. Last fortnight, the beaming Swami, clad in his familiar snow-white muslin robe, proudly hopped into the cockpit of his newest toy - a Cessna Skymaster pressurised aircraft "gifted" to him by one of his myriad admirers.<br><br>The donor of this costly (Rs 28 lakh) gift, Swraj Paul, a London-based industrialist, is himself an occupant of that mysterious twilight zone between business and politics. A self-proclaimed admirer of Mrs Gandhi, a personal friend of Mohammed Ali, the boxer, and a director of the Apeejay group of industries, Paul is generally regarded as the middle man in the Gandhi family's British connections.<br><br>By happenstance, Paul had also "gifted" the ill-fated Pitts SA-2 to Sanjay Gandhi which crashed with the latter in Delhi last year. Evidently, Paul's magnanimity did not end with the Pitts tragedy. On August 27 last year, a bare two months after the incident, he offered the Cessna to Swami Dhirendra.<br><br><b>"Greatly Impressed":</b>Paul's professed intention is apparently nothing more serious than to help the Swami in better coordinating the activities of his 16 yoga teaching centres spread over the country. "I was indeed greatly impressed by your research on prevention and cure of human ailments. I also noticed that one of your serious handicaps is the coordination of your activities due to problems of transportation to your ashrams located in different parts of the country. I have been considering since then in what way we could help solve the problem and assist your society. We would be pleased to donate a suitable aircraft to your society": thus runs a lengthy letter, written by Paul to the Swami on August 21 last year.<br><br><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/brahmachari-2_112513122946.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Brahmachar:i saving time</div>Within a fortnight, on September 10, Paul followed it up with another letter asking the Swami to contact Heli Orient, the Singapore-based distributors of Cessna Skymaster, for delivery of the aircraft. "Since this aircraft is the only one of its model which is being delivered to India, we suggest that you take ample quantity of spares," advised Paul.<br><br>The paper-work progressed at supersonic speed. On October 27, the Heli Orient people wrote to the Swami to acknowledge receipt of US $350,000 (Rs 28 lakh) from Paul, and promised to deliver the twin-engine aircraft soon. Besides covering the cost of the aircraft and accessories, the cheque sent by Paul also paid for the additional engine and airframe parts, and the avionics spares. And still the distributors were left with sufficient balance - $18,187.52 (Rs 1.45 lakh) - to fly down the engineer and to put him up in New Delhi for assembly and test-flying of the aircraft.<br><br><b>Correct Clearance:</b>However, it still needed about four months to clear the customs formalities. But patience, in this case, paid. Since the Swami's Aparna Ashram is listed as a charitable institution, the usual 300 per cent customs levy on gifts from abroad was relaxed to just 16 per cent. However, the Customs Clearance Permit (no. 3060194 dated February 12,1981) carried the routine rider that the aircraft could not be "'sold or disposed of otherwise".<br><br>Thus, with its papers perfectly in order, the gleaming white-and-toffee-brown aircraft took off from Singapore last fortnight heading for Madras. An extra fuel tank was fitted for the long haul across the seas. From Madras it flew to New Delhi's Palam Airport where the customs clearance was obtained.<br><br><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/brahmachari-3_112513122946.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Facets of the Cessna's interior (from left), the plush passenger compartment, the baggage hold, and a stereo cassette deck: high-flying meditation</div>The six-seater Cessna Skymaster, as an aircraft, is just as versatile as its present owner. The twin-engine plane can climb to 20,000 feet from sea level in only 18 minutes and cruise at 205 knots per hour. It has a comfortable range of 1,155 nautical miles and a top speed of 212 knots. All these features place it a cut above the competitive makes of executive aircraft.<br><br><b>Safe:</b>However, Brahmachari, who is an accomplished flier himself, is still not taking chances with the new aircraft. Last fortnight, he hired a pilot at a fabulous salary. The pilot will undergo a brief orientation course under expert care.<br><br>The Cessna Skymaster, which is the second aircraft in Brahmachari's fleet (he already owns a single-engine Maulle-2), will be used mainly to fly the Swami from New Delhi to Mantlai, 140 km from Jammu, where he has an ashram, and Katra, in the shadow of the Vaishnodevi hills. Currently, he is building an air-strip at Katra. The Skymaster requires a very short landing or take-off run.<br><br>Apparently what weighed most with the Brahmachari is the additional safety provided by a twin-engine aircraft. It is operated on a pusher-puller system, with both engines aligned front to back instead of the conventional design of placing them sideways. "It's safe, it's easier to control. It can be manoeuvred as easily as the human body can be manoeuvred in yoga," he mused to India Today.<br><br><b>Discreet:</b>Apart from the safety factor, the Swami maintains that it will save him time. "I had to drive for four hours to reach Mantlai from Katra. I'll make it in seven minutes now," says he. It will enable him to "deliver lectures" at both the places in one morning.<br><br><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/sites/media2/indiatoday/images/stories/1981March/dhinrendra-4_112513122946.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Paul and (above) his letter to Dhirendra: impressed by Swami's research</div>Swraj Paul, to whose munificence he owes the aircraft, was tight-lipped when India Today spoke to him over the phone in London about this extraordinary donation. "I don't stand to gain by getting nearer to Mrs Gandhi through Dhirendra Brahmachari; it was just a voluntary donation for a good cause," said a discreetly formal Paul. Before hanging up, he piped in: "I'm not a political man, you see."<br><br>Buried in the plush comfort of the Skymaster's beige-coloured seat, his feet dug into the chestnut-brown carpet, the Swami will be flying to his ashrams every week now. "I'll carry my entire yoga kit now," he says, hoping to perform the world's costliest midair meditation.<br><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Nov 25, 2013 12:13 IST</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div>

Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari, the jet-setting yogi who forms part of the palace court of the prime minister, is now flying higher, and faster.

India Today

The donor of this costly (Rs 28 lakh) gift, Swraj Paul, a London-based industrialist, is himself an occupant of that mysterious twilight zone between business and politics.

Dhirendra Brahmachari: The Swami's new toy - India Today

Jet-setting yogi Dhirendra Brahmachari flies higher in his Cessna Skymaster aircraft

Dhirendra Brahmachari: The Swami's new toy

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Jet-setting yogi Dhirendra Brahmachari flies higher in his Cessna Skymaster aircraft

Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari, the jet-setting yogi who forms part of the palace court of the prime minister, is now flying higher, and faster.

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