VIDEO: MEET THE CHENNAI PILOT WHOSE TAMIL FLIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE GONE SUPER VIRAL! WATCH HIS TAMIL ANNOUNCEMENTS

IndiGo pilot First Officer Captain G Priyavignesh has recently been in the limelight ever since he posted a small clip of his Tamil in- flight announcement which was delivered a week ago. Priyavignesh, who was the captain in a flight that was plying from Chennai to Madurai, highlighted landmarks such as the point where River Cauvery splits into Kollidam and Cauvery near Trichy, the popular Srirangam temple, the Alagarkovil reserve forest among others. 

"Tharpodhu naam kadal mattathirlerundhu 16,000 adi uyarathil parandhu kondirukirom. Tharpodhaya namudiya vaan vazhi pathaianadhu Trichyai nokki, Cauvery aatrankaraiyil azhaga amaindhulla Trichy managara meedhu parandhu..." he says. ("We are now flying 16,000 feet above sea level. From our path through the skies towards Trichy, we can see that we are flying above the picturesque Trichy district, located along the banks of Cauvery…”)

The Captain who hails from Chennai told The News Minute that he has been practicing his in- flight announcements for around a month. “This time I decided to record it with the help of a friend, so I can receive some feedback. I never thought it would go viral when I posted it. Especially now since pilots don’t get to meet the passengers, it was hard for me to know if it was being received well or not,” he said. However, he noted that he has been receiving encouraging response from fellow captains, passengers and through social media.

Priyavignesh has been operating commercial flights around south India over the past two years. While talking about his family and passion towards flying, he said, “I come from a humble background, my father ran a very small clothing business in Kerala and was working even until a year after I started flying. He doesn’t anymore. I took up flying lessons at the Madras Flying Club while pursuing my BA in History at Loyola College in Chennai. If this dream didn’t work out, I was going to take up MBA,” he says.

The pilot shared that he was excited to tell his mother about these announcements since she is a Tamil teacher who encouraged him to participate in Tamil language competitions from a young age.

He shared that flying passengers home during the pandemic has been very satisfying to him as a pilot despite the fact that it comes with health risks. “Being a pilot, one has to be selfless. Moreover, our company has initiated all kinds of safety measures and we are well-protected,” he told.

“Especially now since passengers might already be stressed because of the fear of catching the infection, I thought in-flight announcements in Tamil might take their mind off their worries, even if for a short while,” he added.