26/11 responsible for my decision to contest polls
I was born in a small village called Gorur in Hassan district of Karnataka. My father was a poor school teacher and a farmer as well. I went to a Kannada-medium school till Class V after which I was selected at the Sainik School in Bijapur which had just been set up to cater to students in Karnataka. Incidentally, I failed the first time I appeared for the entrance exam as the paper was in English of which I did not know a word. My headmaster, however, was a very determined man and he wrote to the defence ministry asking them how they hoped to recruit boys from villages in South India if the paper was held in English and not in their mother tongue. I was able to appear again for the exam, this time in Kannada and that's how I got selected.
After completing school, I got selected to the NDA (National Defence Academy) and went on to be commissioned in the Indian Army where I spent the next eight years and fought in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war. I quit the Army to come back to my village and take up farming. I got into sericulture and eco-farming. Later, I set up Deccan Charter, India's first private helicopter charter company which was followed by India's first low-cost airline Air Deccan. My dream was to have an inclusive India with equitable growth for which connectivity was crucial.
I have been involved in different enterprises, in different fields and have managed to build meaningful businesses which contributed to nation-building. Over the past two decades, I have been a critic of several Government policies and systems and have worked with successive Governments on policy for reforms and progressive measures, particularly in the aviation sector.
I have decided to enter the electoral fray because I believe that India today is crying out for change, a change from divisive party politics steeped in communal and caste votes which has made corruption and ill-governance a way of life in this country. Some of the key issues that made me decide were the Mumbai terror attacks where we appeared to be a failed state, with a bunch of terrorists taking over our very lives. Another was the pub attack in Karnataka and the moral policing goons who want to decide how the women in this country should dress or behave! The sight of women being insulted, with all of us watching, shook me from my reverie. The need of the hour is in believing that you can make a change and not watch from the outside and criticise. If we want a safe future for us and our future generations, we have to stop this degeneration that is taking place in our public life.
I am convinced that today our greatest need is to rid society of communalism and casteism; eradicate corruption and bring in good governance for development and fulfill the ideals on which this nation was formed. I want to make a political and developmental platform which will represent all communities and all religions. I want to drive my vision for India, for Karnataka and for Bangalore on a foundation which has two wheels of change - social harmony and good governance. These are the two pillars of a strong nation. Right governance will not only ensure communal harmony but also the right policies and systems which support the economy and citizens without having to resort to bribes and sycophancy. The opportunity for a happier future for us lies in getting these very fundamentals of our social fabric right.
I have decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate. I did not choose a party as every candidate who represents a party does so by forfeiting his right to think! Because only the high command for every party thinks and plans and the voice of the constituents are never heard. I am planning to set up citizens' committee at constituency levels to bring in participative governance and be the voice of the constituency. I am asked time and again as to what change can an Independent bring about? Well, we have to begin somewhere; Gandhiji brought about a change in an era where there were no modes of communication but every clarion call of his for non-violence brought scores of supporters on the streets and one of the biggest movements in history was created. You and I can make this change possible. This begins with exercising your vote: Cast your vote but do not vote for your caste. By Capt Gopinath
After completing school, I got selected to the NDA (National Defence Academy) and went on to be commissioned in the Indian Army where I spent the next eight years and fought in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war. I quit the Army to come back to my village and take up farming. I got into sericulture and eco-farming. Later, I set up Deccan Charter, India's first private helicopter charter company which was followed by India's first low-cost airline Air Deccan. My dream was to have an inclusive India with equitable growth for which connectivity was crucial.
I have been involved in different enterprises, in different fields and have managed to build meaningful businesses which contributed to nation-building. Over the past two decades, I have been a critic of several Government policies and systems and have worked with successive Governments on policy for reforms and progressive measures, particularly in the aviation sector.
I have decided to enter the electoral fray because I believe that India today is crying out for change, a change from divisive party politics steeped in communal and caste votes which has made corruption and ill-governance a way of life in this country. Some of the key issues that made me decide were the Mumbai terror attacks where we appeared to be a failed state, with a bunch of terrorists taking over our very lives. Another was the pub attack in Karnataka and the moral policing goons who want to decide how the women in this country should dress or behave! The sight of women being insulted, with all of us watching, shook me from my reverie. The need of the hour is in believing that you can make a change and not watch from the outside and criticise. If we want a safe future for us and our future generations, we have to stop this degeneration that is taking place in our public life.
I am convinced that today our greatest need is to rid society of communalism and casteism; eradicate corruption and bring in good governance for development and fulfill the ideals on which this nation was formed. I want to make a political and developmental platform which will represent all communities and all religions. I want to drive my vision for India, for Karnataka and for Bangalore on a foundation which has two wheels of change - social harmony and good governance. These are the two pillars of a strong nation. Right governance will not only ensure communal harmony but also the right policies and systems which support the economy and citizens without having to resort to bribes and sycophancy. The opportunity for a happier future for us lies in getting these very fundamentals of our social fabric right.
I have decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate. I did not choose a party as every candidate who represents a party does so by forfeiting his right to think! Because only the high command for every party thinks and plans and the voice of the constituents are never heard. I am planning to set up citizens' committee at constituency levels to bring in participative governance and be the voice of the constituency. I am asked time and again as to what change can an Independent bring about? Well, we have to begin somewhere; Gandhiji brought about a change in an era where there were no modes of communication but every clarion call of his for non-violence brought scores of supporters on the streets and one of the biggest movements in history was created. You and I can make this change possible. This begins with exercising your vote: Cast your vote but do not vote for your caste. By Capt Gopinath
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