HighLights
  1. PM Modi praised Captain Smit Machchhar for averting flight tragedy.
  2. Smit recounted incident, his determination to save passengers.
  3. Family's commitment to Gujarati culture, Hanuman Chalisa discussed.

Two days after Indian national Captain Smit Machchhar helped avert a major tragedy following an attack by his co-pilot on a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Captain Machchhar shared a conversation in their native Gujarati during a video call.

PM Narendra Modi praised Smit, saying that despite being severely injured and fighting for his life, he made “one last push” to reach the cockpit door because he could not let all the passengers die.

PM Modi spoke with Smit in Gujarati, starting their conversation with "Jai Shree Krishna" and asking him if he was fluent in the language. Smit replied in Gujarati, and the Prime Minister then asked, "Do your kids speak Gujarati or not?" Captain Smit agreed, saying, "Both speak Gujarati. First we taught them Gujarati, and only later English."

PM Modi asked him if he had met his children and whether the doctors allowed it. Captain Smit responded, "Yes, my elder daughter had come, but she got scared. She is very close to me. My younger son is two years old, and he was not allowed."

PM Modi praised his parents and his wife, saying, "Sonalben is a strong lady. She spoke to me with composure and did not complain even slightly."

“Yesterday, I got an opportunity to speak to Bhupendra Bhai (Smit’s father), and I spoke to Geeta Behen (Smit’s mother) and Sonal Behen (Smit’s wife). I told Geeta Behen that your name is Geeta, and you have truly preserved Krishna’s Geeta, and you have raised Smit with the values and teachings of that Geeta,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi ended his call with, "Jay Shri Krishna. Get well very soon, and then we shall meet. God bless you."

PM Modi praised pilot Machchhar and his family during their conversation, saying the values instilled in him had earned admiration from people across the country and around the world.

ALSO READ: 'Hanuman Chalisa, Ahimsa And Sanskriti': What Flydubai Pilot Smit Machchhar And PM Modi Discussed During Call | Watch

“You have done something so great in your life that today people across the country, and people around the world, are eager to see you and speak to you. And I must tell you that this is because of the values you have been given.”

Captain Recalls flydubai Scare

Machchhar recalled the moments after he collapsed to the floor following the attack, sharing that his 17 years of flying experience helped him realize the aircraft was going down.

“When I was down on the floor, I sensed that the aircraft was going down. And I knew for sure: ‘This is the one last push, Smit. Just do it. The door is right there.’ Even as blows were still landing on me, I just managed to open it, sir. Then everyone else arrived. The others also played an equal role in this,” Machchhar told PM Modi.

The captain said that while he was consciously telling himself he was acting for his own survival, deep down he knew he could not allow the passengers to die.

“Consciously, I was telling everyone that I was acting for my own survival, but at the same time, I knew deep down that I could not let all of them die,” he said.

ALSO READ: Flydubai 'Hero' Smit Machchhar Breaks Down During Call With PM Modi: 'Away From India, Not From Our Culture'

Machchhar, who is recovering from his injuries at a hospital in the UAE, also spoke about how he kept himself calm during the ordeal by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa.

“Whenever I feel afraid, only one thing comes to mind: I recite the Hanuman Chalisa. Even during that ordeal, I was continuously reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. I know that God's grace was with me,” he said.

He later told PM Modi that he regularly recites the Hanuman Chalisa with his two-year-old son, adding that his family had ensured they remained connected to their culture even while living away from India.


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