Instead of that, we now have our PMs living in an improvised residence which clumsily combines three bungalows. Sardar Patel suffered the same neglect. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi gave their life for the nation. In fact, in my study, there is a black and white photograph of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, and this is the permanent backdrop to my participation in TV debates. This can never be forgotten. Apart from this, there are huge swathes of priceless real estate marked for the final resting place of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. It has the right location, size, and suitability for protocol requirements.

They served the nation with great distinction, and need to be remembered. When Pandit Nehru died, his home was converted into a museum. As far as I am concerned, a befitting tribute to the Iron Man of India was long overdue. Or, maybe, the Congress is annoyed at the "appropriation" of Sardar Patel by PM Narendra Modi and the BJP. The BJP, which is joined at the hip to the RSS, has internalised a convenient amnesia about what Sardar Patel actually thought of the RSS. New Delhi’s largest stadium is named after Jawaharlal Nehru. That was the first overreaction. Hence the need for appropriating figures like Sardar Patel. China rivet nut Factory Why should a statue of Sardar Patel cause controversy? Is it because it is the tallest statue in the world? Or, is it because its inauguration was an extravaganza choreographed by the PM? Or, is it because it cost — as per reports — something in the vicinity of Rs 3,000 crore? Other reasons have been cited too.But all this notwithstanding, a tribute to the Iron Man of India, cannot — and should not — be made a matter of controversy. There is, undoubtedly, an irony in this new-found deification.

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The plane was said to have rocked on impact, but the shaking was brushed off as minor, and panic set in among the 136 passengers only when the Dubai ATC refused to let the plane land and it had to be rerouted to Mumbai. Modern aviation is so safe the odds of fatality in a crash have lengthened considerably since the Wright Brothers showed us how to fly. (Representational image) It’s a wonder that an Air India Express Boeing B737, which hit a very low airport perimeter wall at Tiruchy while taking off, flew on to Dubai with the pilots blissfully unaware of what had occurred. An eventful AI flight reminds us there’s work to be done to make flying even safer. What the investigation must clearly establish is whether it was overloading of aircraft or pilot failure in reading the takeoff point.Tiruchy’s incident is the opposite of what happened to the AI flight on September 11 when all systems failed and the pilots had to land blind in Newark in the most testing conditions of low visibility, which makes us wonder what modern fly-by-wire aviation is all about. Confident that all systems were "go" on board, the experienced pilots, with over 3,000 flying hours each, saw no reason to change course. insert nut The plane was said to have rocked on impact, but the shaking was brushed off as minor, and panic set in among the 136 passengers only when the Dubai ATC refused to let the plane land and it had to be rerouted to Mumbai.

Would it be too much to seek positioning of cameras on the wings or fuselage to check underbelly, landing gear and wheel and tyre conditions? An aircraft with a hole in the underbelly can still make it and we often hear of safe landings even after engine failure events.An eventful AI flight reminds us there’s work to be done to make flying even safer. But that’s what we hear after every aviation scare. They have been derostered, and an inquiry is on.

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