At a time when India did not have even a cycle manufacturing company, it sounds incredible that an Aircraft company was established in Bengaluru.
With the creation of Hindustan Aircrafts Limited (which is now known as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited — HAL) in December 1940, the exciting new chapter of Indian Aviation opened up in the country. I had a rendezvous with the history of this company while researching for my novel Yad Vashem, for which I needed to visualise a 1940s Bengaluru.
On a late afternoon in the year 2006, scouting through the narrow lanes of Sampangiram Nagar, I reached an ancient- looking building with winding stairs — Babboor Giddanna Choultri to meet M S Gurappa, HAL’s first employee. Time stood still as the Choultri, built in 1930, had remained the same.
If I had expected an old man of 86, I was wrong. Here was Gurappa climbing the flight of stairs to his studio, Swarna Kamala, on the second floor sprightly. He was a busy artist even at that age and narrated the fascinating story of how he became HAL’s first employee. Gurappa was born in 1921. His father Mysore Shankarappa, was a weaver and his mother, N Sankamma, a teacher.
On December 20, 1940, there was a meeting called at Kumara Krupa Government Guest House to discuss the Aircraft Factory Agreement. Sir M Vishveshwaraya, Seth Walchand Hirachand, William Douglas Pawley, the director of the Harlow Aircraft Company of America, and D Subba Rao, an engineer from Mysore (now Mysuru), were present.
12/01/16 Deccan Herald
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With the creation of Hindustan Aircrafts Limited (which is now known as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited — HAL) in December 1940, the exciting new chapter of Indian Aviation opened up in the country. I had a rendezvous with the history of this company while researching for my novel Yad Vashem, for which I needed to visualise a 1940s Bengaluru.
On a late afternoon in the year 2006, scouting through the narrow lanes of Sampangiram Nagar, I reached an ancient- looking building with winding stairs — Babboor Giddanna Choultri to meet M S Gurappa, HAL’s first employee. Time stood still as the Choultri, built in 1930, had remained the same.
If I had expected an old man of 86, I was wrong. Here was Gurappa climbing the flight of stairs to his studio, Swarna Kamala, on the second floor sprightly. He was a busy artist even at that age and narrated the fascinating story of how he became HAL’s first employee. Gurappa was born in 1921. His father Mysore Shankarappa, was a weaver and his mother, N Sankamma, a teacher.
On December 20, 1940, there was a meeting called at Kumara Krupa Government Guest House to discuss the Aircraft Factory Agreement. Sir M Vishveshwaraya, Seth Walchand Hirachand, William Douglas Pawley, the director of the Harlow Aircraft Company of America, and D Subba Rao, an engineer from Mysore (now Mysuru), were present.
12/01/16 Deccan Herald
