Simply Fly

by G.R. Gopinath

This is the journey of a boy born in a remote village, who went from riding a bullock cart to owning an airline, a journey of an entrepreneur who built India's first and largest low-cost airline Filled with rich anecdotes of everyday struggles and joys, this is the awe-inspiring story of Captain G. R. Gopinath. This autobiography narrates in gritty detail Captain Gopinath's incredible journey: quitting the Indian Army in the late 1970s with a princely gratuity of Rs 6500, going back to his farm land inundated by the river, converting a piece of barren land to set up a farm for ecologically sustainable silkworm rearing, winning the Rolex award for it, his loves and passions, his extraordinary determination to launch an airline (which touched a crazy market cap of US$ 1. 1 billion in less than four years ), in the process rewriting aviation history.

Genres: Biography, Business, Nonfiction, Autobiography, India, Startup, Entrepreneurship

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2010

About the author

Captain Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar Gopinath is an Indian entrepreneur, the founder of Air Deccan, a retired Captain of the Indian Army, an author, and a politician.

After school, he earned a commission in the Indian Army, earning the rank of Captain.

The army life seemed to somehow tie him down. He took early retirement from Indian Army, at the age of 28. Upon retirement from the armed forces, he established an ecologically sustainable sericulture farm; his innovative methods earned him the Rolex Laureate Award in 1996. Next, he started the Malnad Mobikes (Enfield dealership) and opened a hotel in Hassan.

In 1997 he co-founded Deccan Aviation, a charter helicopter service. In 2003, Gopinath founded Air Deccan, a low cost airline; Air Deccan merged with Kingfisher Airlines in 2007. In 2009 he founded Deccan 360, a freight flight business. In July 2013, Deccan 360 was ordered to wind up by the Karnataka High Court order based on petitions filed by Dubai-based United Aviation Services (UAS) and another by M/s Patel Integrated Logistics (PIL) Pvt. Ltd. — seeking recovery of amounts due to them by winding up the company.

In May 2006, he was knighted with "Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur" the civilian award conferred by the French Government. He has received many awards for Air Deccan.

In 2009, Gopinath contested as an independent candidate in Bangalore South constituency at the Lok Sabha elections but was defeated. In 2014, he unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections on the ticket of the Aam Aadmi Party.

The 2020 Amazon Prime Video Tamil film Soorarai Pottru was partly inspired by events from the life of G. R. Gopinath.

Reviews

[Parag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply Fly is a biography of Captain Gopinath. The book is large and in the middle it becomes little boring. That is because the outcomes of his various ventures become predictable. In throughout length of book he, with brutal honesty, writes what he really did and not what we would like to read. How a person who keeps on trying and experimenting never fail I the longer run, how self-belief is a must else you are deemed to fail, he assures. I would rate this one as 4.5 stars.
The incidents sometimes feel difficult to believe. For example, the incident where the bullock cart does not fail and wheels do not come out even when locking mechanism is missing; when he left everything and lived alone in a farm with zero amenities; etc. But leaving such instances, the book is a good or rather a MUST READ. One who loves adventures would definitely love this book. In one of the adventures, Captain Gopinath goes on a bike tour of country. I liked that idea and added ‘Bike Journey from Kanyakumari to Jammu’ in my Bucket List. This book is actually an epitome of adventurism.
One important thing is that Captain himself is a avid reader. He has quoted lines from various writers every now and then making book more readable. Also, I had to use dictionary frequently while reading.

[Satya Balakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read!! Gopinath has had an interesting life and he recounts the story well!! If you are here after the Tamil movie on this person, then let me tell you that his life is far more interesting and colourful than the movie!!

[Prashanth Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

ಬಾನಯಾನ ಸೈನ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೇವೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಿ,ಕೃಷಿಕನಾಗಿ,ಮೊಬೈಕ್ ಡೀಲರ್ ಆಗಿ‌,ಡೆಕ್ಕನ್ ಏರ್‌ವೇಸ್ ಕಟ್ಟಿದ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗನ ಸಾಹಸಗಾಥೆ.
ಅಲ್ಲಲ್ಲಿ ಆತ್ಮರತಿ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಇದೆ ಅನ್ನುವುದು ದುರ್ಬಲ ಅಂಶ.
ಅದಲ್ಲದೆ ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲ ಸಾಹಸ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ ದಿನನಿತ್ಯದ ಖರ್ಚಿಗೇನು‌ ಮಾಡಿದರು ಅನ್ನುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಮರ್ಪಕ ಉತ್ತರ ದೊರೆಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.(ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಸಾಲ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಇದೆ.ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ)

[Vasudev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book does a great job of describing his growth from a village boy to owner of a Airlines.
Caption Gopinath has written a gem. I love how he described all encounters with vivid details. That's a mark of someone living life to the fullest in the present moment. There was no part of the book that could be skimmed. It is well written and is easy to visualize his world.

[Sagar Ghai · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no words to describe this man. The valour and honour he shows while being from the lowest of trenches in our society outlines that living a life of ethics and integrity does not conflict with anything. His story is an absolute gem for first generation entrepreneurs. A farmer, salesman, restaurant owner, stock broker, politician and the owner of a helicopter company. This man did everything possible to make the world see how things should be done.

Strategy making is an art. He showcases it in every one of his endeavours. Some of the quotes are so amazing that I had to write them down and underline them, something I would never do to a book. This hidden gem deserves an applaud.

This should become the first and foremost book on any list of must reads for an entrepreneur in India.

[Amith Kamath · Rating 5 out of 5]

#ಅಕ್ಷರವಿಹಾರ_೨೦೨೩
ಕೃತಿ: ಬಾನಯಾನ(ಸಿಂಪ್ಲಿ ಫ್ಲೈ)
ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಮೂಲ: ಕ್ಯಾ.ಜಿ.ಆರ್.ಗೋಪಿನಾಥ್
ಕನ್ನಡ ಅನುವಾದ: ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರ ಭಟ್
ಪ್ರಕಾಶಕರು: ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಪ್ರಕಾಶನ, ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿ

ಆತ್ಮಕಥೆಗಳು ನನ್ನ ಇಷ್ಟದ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಪ್ರಕಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು. ನಮ್ಮಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಇದ್ದುಕೊಂಡು ಮಹತ್ತರ ಸಾಧನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿದ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಪರಿಚಯ, ಅವರು ಎದುರಿಸಿದ ಸವಾಲುಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರತಿಕೂಲ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶಗಳನ್ನು ಸಮರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ಎದುರಿಸಿ ನಿಭಾಯಿಸಿದ ರೀತಿಗಳು ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಜೀವನೋತ್ಸಾಹವನ್ನು ತುಂಬುತ್ತವೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಕಾರಣವಾಗಿದೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಮಗೆ ಇರಬಹುದಾದ ಕೀಳರಿಮೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಹಂಕಾರವನ್ನು ಸದ್ದಿಲ್ಲದೇ ಚಿವುಟಿ ಹಾಕುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸಹ ಆತ್ಮಕತೆಗಳು ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಸಹಕಾರಿಯಾಗುತ್ತವೆ.

ಈ ಬಾರಿ ನಾನು ಓದಿದ ಆತ್ಮಕಥೆ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಾದ ಕ್ಯಾಪ್ಟನ್ ಗೊರೂರು ರಾಮಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಅಯ್ಯಂಗಾರ್ ಗೋಪಿನಾಥ್ ಅವರದ್ದು. ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಓದುತ್ತಿರಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸಾಧನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಜೀವಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಧಿಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವೇ ಎಂಬ ಅಚ್ಚರಿಯುಂಟಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಕೆಲವು ಕಡೆ ಅವರಷ್ಟು ಸಾಧನೆಗಳು ಬಿಡಿ ಅದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಯೋಚಿಸುವ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ ಸಹ ನಮಗಿರಲಿಕ್ಕಿಲ್ಲ ಅನಿಸಿತು. ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಾಡಿನ ಯುವಕನೊಬ್ಬ ಸೇನೆಯನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡು,ನಂತರ ಸಾವಯವ ಕೃಷಿಕನಾಗಿ,ಕೋಳಿ ಕುರಿ ಸಾಕಾಣಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು, ದ್ವಿಚಕ್ರ ವಾಹನ ರಿಪೇರಿ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಗುತ್ತಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ನಿಭಾಯಿಸಿ, ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಉದ್ಯಮವನ್ನು ನಡೆಸಿ, ಷೇರು ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆ ದಲ್ಲಾಳಿಯಾಗಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಿ(ಸ್ಟಾಕ್ ಬ್ರೋಕರ್), ಕೃಷಿ ಸಲಹೆಗಾರರಾಗಿದ್ದುಕೊಂಡು, ಸಕ್ರಿಯ ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಹ ಪಾಲ್ಗೊಂಡು ನಂತರ ಇಡೀ ಪ್ರಪಂಚವೇ ತಿರುಗಿ ನೋಡುವಷ್ಟು ಅಗ್ಗದ ದರದ ವಿಮಾನಯಾನ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯೆಂಬ ಬೃಹತ್ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಒಡೆಯರಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂದರೆ ಆ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಆಲೋಚನೆಗಳು ಯಾವ ಮಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿರಬಹುದು, ಅವರು ಮೈಗೂಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಅಸಾಧಾರಣ ಧೈರ್ಯ ಎಂತಹುದು ಎಂಬುದು ಅರಿವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲವನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಅವರ ತಲೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಯಾವ ರೀತಿಯ ವಿಚಾರ ವಿನಿಮಯಗಳು ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರಬಹುದು ಎನ್ನುವ ಕುತೂಹಲವೂ ನನ್ನೊಳಗೆ ಇಣುಕುತ್ತಿತ್ತು.

ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗೆ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಆಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಕಂಡದ್ದು ಅವರು ಕೃಷಿಕನಾಗಿ ಬೆಳೆದು ನಿಂತ ರೀತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಯಾರೂ ಊಹಿಸಲಾಗದ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಮಾನಯಾನ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು. ಸೇನೆಯಿಂದ ನಿವೃತ್ತರಾಗಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಬರಿಗೈಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮರಳಿದ ಕ್ಯಾಪ್ಟನ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಪೂರ್ವಿಕರಿಂದ ಬಳುವಳಿಯಾಗಿ ಬಂದಂತಹ ಜಮೀನು ಹೇಮಾವತಿ ನದಿಗೆ ಅಡ್ಡಲಾಗಿ ಕಟ್ಟಿದ ಅಣೆಕಟ್ಟು ನುಂಗಿದ್ದು ನುಂಗಲಾರದ ತುತ್ತಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಪರಿಹಾರಾರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ದೊರೆತ‌ ಜಮೀನು ಯಾವುದೇ ಉಪಯೋಗಕ್ಕೆ ಬಾರದ ಬೆಂಗಾಡು ಎಂಬ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ ಇತರರಲ್ಲಿ ಮನೆ ಮಾಡಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಗೋಪಿನಾಥ್ ಅವರು ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿದಾಗ ಅವರ ಮನಃಪಟಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸಿದ್ದು ಫಲವತ್ತಾದ ಸಮೃದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ಬೆಳೆದು ನಿಂತ ತೋಟ. ಅವರ ಕ್ರಿಯಾಶೀಲತೆಯಿಂದ ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ಯೋಚನಾ ಲಹರಿಯಿಂದ ಆ ಕನಸು ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕಾರಗೊಳ್ಳಲು ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಡ್ಡಿ ಆತಂಕಗಳು ನಿರ್ಬಂಧಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಸಾವಯವ ಕೃಷಿಯ ಬಗೆಗಿನ ಅವರ ವಿಚಾರಗಳು, ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯೊಂದಿಗಿನ ಅವರ ಒಡನಾಟದಿಂದ ಲಭ್ಯವಾದ ಒಳನೋಟಗಳು ಇಂದಿಗೂ ಸಹ ತಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತತೆಯನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಅನೇಕ ನಿದರ್ಶನಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣಬಹುದು. ಇಂತಹ ಕೃಷಿಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಜನರ ಜೀವನವನ್ನು ಸುಧಾರಿಸಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಅವರಿಗೆ ರೋಲೆಕ್ಸ್ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ಸಹ ಲಭ್ಯವಾಯಿತು.

ಹೀಗೆ ಕೃಷಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಮುಂದೆ ಅವರು ಕಟ್ಟಿದ ಅದ್ಭುತ ಜಗತ್ತು ಅಗ್ಗದ ದರದ ವಿಮಾನಯಾನ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ. ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ವರ್ಗದ ಜನರು ಸಹ ವಿಮಾನಯಾನ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು, ಅದರ ದರಗಳು ಕೈಗೆಟುಕುತ್ತಿರಬೇಕು,ಮಹಾನಗರಗಳಲ್ಲದೆ ಇತರ ನಗರಗಳು ಸಹ ಈ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಕನಸನ್ನು ಹೊತ್ತು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿದ ಈ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಯಶಸ್ವಿಯಾಯಿತು. ಜನ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯರ ಕನಸಿನ ಸಾಕಾರದ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಲಾಭದ ಹಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಸಲು ಅವರು ನಡೆಸಿದ ಪ್ರಯೋಗಗಳು,ವೆಚ್ಚ ಕಡಿತದ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳು ಅವರಲ್ಲಿನ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಸ್ಥ ಮನಸ್ಥಿತಿಯ ಉಚ್ಛ್ರಾಯ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡ ನಿರ್ಣಯಗಳು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲು ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಡ್ಡಿಯಿಲ್ಲ. ಇಂತಹ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯೊಂದು ಕಾಲಕ್ರಮೇಣ ನೇಪಥ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿದು ಹೋಗಲು ಕಾರಣವಾದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಓದುವಾಗ ಬಹಳ ಬೇಸರವುಂಟಾಯಿತು. ಆದರೆ ಅದರ ನಂತರವೂ ಉತ್ಸಾಹವನ್ನು ಕಳೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳದೆ ಸರಕು ಸಾಗಣೆಯ ವಿಮಾನ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಅವರು ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಿ ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಶಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಕಂಡರು. ಈ ವಿಚಾರವು ಮನುಷ್ಯನ ಸೋಲು ಕುಸಿತಗಳು ಯಾವತ್ತಿದ್ದರೂ ಅಲ್ಪಕಾಲಿಕ, ಸತತ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಗಳ ಮುಖೇನ ಯಶಸ್ಸಿನ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೆ ಮರಳಿ ಪಡೆಯಬಹುದು ಅನಿಸಿತು.

ಇನ್ನು ಅನುವಾದದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳುವುದಾದರೆ ಒಂದು ಉತ್ಕೃಷ್ಟ ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟದ ಅನುವಾದ. ಈ ಬೃಹತ್ ಕೃತಿಯನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ತಂದ ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರ ಭಟ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಹೃತ್ಪೂರ್ವಕ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. ಈ ಕೃತಿಯು ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಕಳೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಸೋತು ಸುಣ್ಣವಾಗಿರುವ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯು ಓದಿದರೆ ಅವನಲ್ಲಿ ನವಚೈತನ್ಯ ಪುಟಿದೇಳಬಹುದು. ಕಾಲೇಜು ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಯೋರ್ವ ಓದಿದರೆ ಅವನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊಸ ವಿಚಾರಗಳು,ಉತ್ಸಾಹ, ಹುಮ್ಮಸ್ಸು ಒಟ್ಟೊಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಚಿಮ್ಮಬಹುದು. ನನಗಂತೂ ಸಂತೃಪ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದ ಓದು.

ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಪರಿಚಯದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಈ ವರ್ಷದ ಓದು ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಮುಕ್ತಾಯ….

ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ,
ಅಮಿತ್ ಕಾಮತ್

[Adithya Shashidhara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to know about one of our own, Karnataka’s star entrepreneur Captain Gopinath. His army days, stint as a farmer and then as a pioneer of low cost airlines have been described lucidly. However the style of narration could be a bit off putting considering it is more than 350 pages long. I enjoyed his collaboration with Vijay Mallya. It’s tragic that both their airlines have bitten dust now.

[Praveena D.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capt. Gopinath is living complete life and his biography is complete life biography. He done everything a dream of doing in his life. Born in Village, fought in war, won prestigious award for agricultural improvements, run bike dealership, tried his hand in Udupi hotel, immersed himself in Agriculture Consultancy. Last but not least, started helicopter company later started low cost airlines. One thing about Captain Gopi which stood out from other successful people is, His strength to improve and adaptability.

Read full review here http://www.inkanaja.com/2015/11/revie...

[Senthilprabhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a amazing book. Its simply a flying journey by a man born in middle class family, joined army, trekked in USA, started farming, small entrepreneur to founder one of the best low cost airlines in the country.
It explains how the government functions, how one faces various problems in this country. When many people think of corruption as a barrier for entrepreneurship, here is a man who broken that myth and proven more than once that, be right then nothing will stop you from achieving the dream.
It explains the problem one faces in all walks of life, as a common man, as a family man, as well as a business man.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[Soumitra Bhattacharyya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent narration. Most of the time we find Euphoria about one's success . Rarely do we know the hard work , activities , thought and trail of events that goes through any success. In this Capt. Gopinath has narrated his life story from village boy to founder of Air Deccan in India. I believe the incidents are real life and any one can correlate with the author's narrative.
A great story and the fact that it is not work of fiction makes it fun to read

[Jitin · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did Capt. Gopi make the journey from being in the army to farming to starting Air Deccan? This book offers key insights into the operations of the airline industry as seen by an entrepreneur with a thirst for creation of innovative solutions. Capt. Gopi is a fantastic storyteller but at times he digresses to indulge in a hubristic narrative. Nonetheless, this one is definitely a must read for anyone interested in low cost airlines and/or early days of entrepreneurship in India.

[Aditya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to read, highlight, ponder over and then reread and then some more. Capt Gopinath shares his story in great detail. He takes quite a bit of time to get to the Deccan story and even when he gets there, its a fraction of the book. But the path to starting Deccan is described in great detail - the path of becoming an entrepreneur who would start Deccan. Highly recommended.

[Jayanth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book which makes you think about how much there is in the world to do! The best part of the book is when he talks about his farm and how he managed to get things done single-handedly inspite of all the odds in his village! Overall, an inspirational book and a must read for every aspiring entrepreneur.

[Dinesh Gopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gopinath Captain is on par with any of the top entrepreneurs of the world and he captures the same with his brilliant writing.

[Vijay Chengappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging account of Mr Gopinath's life. Fact (sometimes) is indeed more interesting that fiction.

[Vinoth Kanna M E · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational biography! I enjoyed reading it. Somebody should make a movie out of this book.

[Dwarakeshwaran Malathi Magesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

I have read and watched many Autobiographies before. This is my first time reading an autobiography novel in தமிழ்!

All those books and movies have one thing in common. The ending will be a happy and colorful one. This book has the most tragic end of all. But in the end, I felt a massive emotion of HOPE!

Captain Gopinath is a guy who wants to experience everything. He was a military man; then became a farmer; after that, he had his gigs in Politics; then finally a businessman.

I started reading this book after watching a Tamil movie named Soorarai Potru. It was adapted from this book. I wanted to read this book first and then planned on watching the movie but, it didn't happen.

I watched the movie first and didn't like it. So, I lost interest in reading this book. As I wanted to try out an Autographical novel in Tamil for the first time, I gave this book another chance. And it was the best decision I took in a while. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

The one thing I didn't like about this book was the lag I felt in the middle. To be honest, I didn't like the chapters that showcased his experiences as a Politician. It's purely my own personal opinion. Some may like that but I didn't like it.

And finally, the one thing that defined this book is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling.


If—
By Rudyard Kipling
(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)
If you can keep your head when all about you   
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;   
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;   
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

[Ajay Bhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I distinctly remember being sent ahead by my family to 'reserve' seats on a Cochin- Bangalore Air Deccan flight. They didn't allocate seats before hand as is common now. This was way back in 2005-2006 when air travel wasn't as ubiquitous as it is now and India was starting to get up on her feet as a developing economy. In this transformation process, Captain Gopinath is credited as someone who gave 'wings' to the aspirations of the common man and the modern, liberalised Indian nation. He is someone who has donned various hats in his life. His story is inspirational and one has to respect his grit & integrity against the so called insurmountable challenges.
‌ In this book, we see the author as a villager, a soldier, a farmer, a business man and an entrepreneur. There is agriculture, action, adventure, finance, business, aviation and importantly emotion. It is no short of a movie (infact an upcoming Tamil movie starring Surya is based on his life).This book has even been adopted in the curriculum of some management schools. However, the author clarifies in the preface that it is is not a 'How to..' book.
Instead, we are taken on a journey from the author's childhood in the village of Gorur to this stint as the owner of India's first LCC (low cost carrier) bringing even the Tier 2 & 3 towns on India's aviation map. The overall story is interesting though not that captivating. The first half covers his childhood, military days, organic farming and sericulture experience and subsequent success and his initial business ventures. There a lot of digressions in this half. The second half where he sets up India's first charter helicopter service and later the first Indian LCC (which he later sells to Kingfisher) is fast paced and more than compensates for the first part. I felt that the author became too 'preachy' and pompous sometimes & I felt like saying: "Ok Boomer!" Most importantly this book suffers from the disadvantage that all autobiographies face. The book doesn't give a comprehensive picture of the author's life as we see it only from his perspective. He isn't able to reflect on his failures. The book doesn't fully explore why Deccan actually failed. The author makes only a cursory mention of Deccan's issue prior to its sale. As the book was published in 2009, the rise and fall of his cargo business, the closure of Kingfisher and his not so successfull second stint with commercial air travel under the UDAN program are not covered in the book.
To conclude, I think that it is not the best of autobiographies but is a decent read nonetheless. If you are on the lookout for an inspiring Indian entrepreneural adventure or are interested in the Indian aviation sector, you can give it a try.

[Razeen Muhammed rafi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of most inspiring book which I read recently .Most of us would have watched south Indian movies of actor Suriya ‘ Soorarai Pottru’ movie inspired from book ‘Simply Fly’ by Capt.G.R Gopinath  by person who started Deccan charters which was India’s first helicopter charter service which later started one of India’s first budget flight service Air Deccan.
He was born as son of school teacher and later passed NDA exam and started his service in Indian Army. After retirement he started his entrepreneur journey as a farmer. During his marriage he had to struggle a lot and his wife was there to support him. Later he planned to start a helicopter charter business and had to face many bureaucratic hurdles. His struggle to start his business are portrayed in this book .

ഞാൻ അടുത്തിടെ വായിച്ച ഏറ്റവും പ്രചോദിപ്പിക്കുന്ന പുസ്തകം,നടൻ സൂര്യയുടെ ‘സൂരറൈ പോട്രു’ എന്ന സിനിമ ന��്മളിൽ ഭൂരിഭാഗവും കണ്ടിട്ടുണ്ടാകും.ഇന്ത്യയുടെ ഡെക്കാൻ ചാർട്ടേഴ്‌സ് ആരംഭിച്ച വ്യക്തി ക്യാപ്റ്റൻ ജിആർ ഗോപിനാഥിന്റെ ‘സിംപ്ലി ഫ്ലൈ’ എന്ന പുസ്തകത്തിൽ നിന്ന് പ്രചോദനം ഉൾക്കൊണ്ട് നിർമ്മിച്ച ചിത്രം അണ് ‘സൂരറൈ പോട്രു’ .
ഇന്ത്യയുടെ ആദ്യത്തെ ഹെലികോപ്റ്റർ ചാർട്ടർ സർവീസ് പിന്നീട് ഇന്ത്യയിലെ ആദ്യത്തെ ബജറ്റ് ഫ്ലൈറ്റ് സർവീസ് എയർ ഡെക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങിയ വ്യക്തി അണ് capt ഗോപിനാഥ്.
സ്കൂൾ അധ്യാപകന്റെ മകനായി ജനിച്ച അദ്ദേഹം പിന്നീട് എൻഡിഎ പരീക്ഷയിൽ വിജയിക്കുകയും ഇന്ത്യൻ ആർമിയിൽ സേവനം ആരംഭിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു. വിരമിച്ച ശേഷം ഒരു കർഷകനായി അദ്ദേഹം തന്റെ സംരംഭക യാത്ര ആരംഭിച്ചു. വിവാഹ ശേഷം സംരംഭകനായ അദ്ദേഹം ജീവിതത്തിൽ ഒരുപാട് കഷ്ടപ്പെടേണ്ടി വന്നു, ഭാര്യ അദ്ദേഹത്തെ പിന്തുണയ്ക്കാൻ എന്നും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. പിന്നീട് ഒരു ഹെലികോപ്റ്റർ ചാർട്ടർ ബിസിനസ്സ് ആരംഭിക്കാൻ അദ്ദേഹം പദ്ധതിയിട്ടു, നിരവധി ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥ തടസ്സങ്ങൾ നേരിടേണ്ടി വന്നു എങ്കിലും അദ്ദേഹം തൻ്റെ സ്വപ്നം യാഥാർത്ഥ്യം അക്കി. തന്റെ ബിസിനസ്സ് വിജയിപ്പിക്കാൻ ഉള്ള അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ പോരാട്ടം ഈ പുസ്തകത്തിൽ ചിത്രീകരിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

[Srikanth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is a very thorough and detailed description of all the milestones in Captain Gopinath's life. I really liked how Mr. Gopi went about giving a linear narration of his life and his achievements. His farming days were interesting and fun to read. The launch of the helicopter service was a nail-biting chapter as the experience at each step and the 2-3 year ordeal of running from post to pillar in the Delhi bureaucracy to get approvals and the arrangement of money and how the helicopter delivery finally happened just minutes before the inauguration by Karnataka CM J.H. Patel was nerve-wracking. Only people who thrive on adrenaline rush and anxiety can achieve such feats.
The recollection of the days of 'Air Deccan', the low cost airline that Mr. Gopi started with the common man as the customer were personally dear to me because the first flight in my life was on Air Deccan from Mumbai to Bengaluru which would not have been possible at that phase of my life if not for the cheap fares that Mr. Gopi made possible on airlines. The honest appraisal of Vijay Mallya and his style of conducting business was also interesting. Overall, a good book that tells a lot about India and how businesses dawn and doom in that country.

[Sumit Sabnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply fly , a simply fabulous autobiography of a very industrious man , a very well read man a risk taker , an inventor , a farmer, an army man an Enfield bullet bike dealer, an udupi restaurant hotel owner , a stockbroker a political aspirant and most importantly and adventurer.
This book is very special to me because the decade of Indian aviation that Mr Gopinath spearheaded , I was a pilot in Kf and many of the names mentioned in the book became my colleagues and it was fun to to correlate the happenings at the top end , behind the scenes decisions while we employees enjoyed a period of great opportunity and stability.

It was great to read about the deals between Vijay Mallya and Gopinath and where they stand today . The book is very candid and an easy read , a bit long , as it digs deeply into each and every entrepreneural venture .Easily best alternative to an MBA it has tons of great advice for anyone who wants to Simply Fly and soar higher !

[Monesh Thiyagu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was wondering watching the Trailer of SOORARAI POTTRU a tamil film by surya
&
Then i started to research about the plot and there i founded Captain Gopinath's book "SIMPLY FLY"

A Voyage of a Middle class person who started a airline company from absolute zero to one i was wondering how would this happen at the first but when i started to read this book i was in love with his Military part especially the war scenes. and then the resigning from Army

Then his farming journey to starting his own hotel in his native and a royal enfield showroom

then coming back to bangalore to start his airline company with his jobless pilot friend

partnering with the vijay mallya AKA king of good times and selling his company!

i was in love with this book it motivates anyone who's into the business part A good one to read !!

[Rubi Sindhika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply fly - I have heard about this book already but convinced to read it after watching the movie 'soorarai potru' inspired from this book. I was sure the book would be better as the movie had the same hero villain template and the dramatic hero effect. This book will give you adrenaline rush. The ventures capt. Gopinath had gone through in setting up the enterprise is full of surprises and thrills. The narration was crisp and on point without any unnecessary descriptions. Some of his insights were vague and i can't make an understanding out of it. Maybe they were complex for my brain to handle. This book needs little extra effort because it contains lot of exotic ideas and concepts for a normal fiction reader. But if you can go through, the experience is seriously rewarding. It will help you witness how a entrepreneurial mind thinks and works with an Indian touch. Go for it.

[Siddhartha Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had picked up this book out of sheer curiosity while walking around in a book store in South Delhi. Little did I know that it will introduce me to a man who has been honest and fearless in all his ventures so far.

Without going into too much detail, I would recommend every budding entrepreneur or business leader to go ahead and grab a copy or maybe borrow it. It will help you to understand the true meaning of “Where there is a will.... there is a way....”

It is not a how-to book, but a book which can help you understand the men and women behind successful and unsuccessful companies. It is an excellent description of the sheer anxiety, curiosity and every other ‘ity’ they go through :)

Happy reading!

[Monish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book describes the enterprenueral journey of a young man, blazing with zeal and ambition, about how he wants to bring about a (positive) change in the world. This book is written in a way that makes you go along with the author as he tranverses his journey. Frompoorest of the situations to the richest of men, from the darkest of times to the most wanted, Capt. G.R. Gopinath has experienced it all. He has served a stint in the army, has cultivated a farm from scratch, has fought an election. has opened a helicopter charter company, layed the foundation of a LCC (Low Cost Airline) in India, yet has the humbleness and youth in him

[Mahesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through this book, Capt. Gopinath chronicles the life of a middle class Indian entrepreneur rising against the many headwinds. The style of writing in this book further places rigor and thought provocation for many budding young entrepreneurs.
I think there seems to be atleast 1 historical inaccuracy, relating to the dating of a Hindu temple near Bangalore. But otherwise a very accessible and quite informative accounts of business development, strategic innovation and inter-personal relationship building that is showcased inside this book.

[Srujay Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

* “Entrepreneur is who creates wealth where it did not exist earlier by creating a new market and a new customer. They create something new, something different, they change and transmute values; and on a size and scale that will impact society.”

* “An entrepreneur must not only create a new product but fundamentally alter the very behaviour of consumers; create societal change. The entrepreneur must have a business model that is markedly different from the existing ones. However, the uniqueness of the business model must not be at the cost of viability.”

[Sachin Khandelwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entrepreneurs Guide to inclusive success

The moment I began reading, I felt like reading autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi or Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam. It's because I felt the honesty & simplicity in story telling and felt connected to the situations & circumstances. Every page full of inspiration and learning for entrepreneurs, a living proof that if you think greater good everyone come out to help and contribute.

Authors life gives the strength and vision to look beyond the problem and convert them to opportunities.

[Omkar Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When you start something you cannot give yourself a time-frame for success. You can't say: if it doesn't work out in six-months I will give up. Your only task is to keep doing whatever it takes to achieve the goal."


The above quote sums up the life and personality of ' Captain Gopi' ..What an amazing life he has lived and what an amazing story,which inspires not just upcoming entrepreneurs but people in any walk of life. We can all take lessons from his journey and learn to live our lives in a better way...

[Nithanth Domy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This man is amazing. Read and get inspired on how he emerged as a successful businessman. Went to the National Defense Academy, Served Indian Army, Became a farmer, Went into different bussines throughout his life, restraunts, shops, went into politics, helicopter bussines, setting up a low cost airplane service and many more.

Ps: I did read the book to understand the real life of this person from his book after seeing the movie which it seems to me as highly dramatic and over rated.