Sarangpur: Jaimin Patel from Texas paid Rs 4 lakh airfare to reach Sarangpur just in time to pay his last respects to Pramukh Swami. Patel, an ardent devotee of Bapa, did not mind shelling out more than five times the normal fare and was, in fact, relieved he could attend the last rites of his revered guru.
Overwhelming grief of devotees and their burning desire to pay homage to Pramukh Swami caused an explosive spike in airfares from the US and the UK to Mumbai and Gujarat, over the past four days. Over 7,000 NRGs have travelled to Gujarat in this period. Of the 15 chartered flights that landed recently in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Bhavnagar, seven came from abroad, said airport officials.
Normally, the ticket rate from Texas to any destination in Gujarat is around Rs 70,000. But since the followers of Pramukh Swami rushed to book tickets at the last minute, the rates skyrocketed. "Jaimin was a little late in booking and had to pay five times the normal fare," said Chandrakant Brahmbhatt (42) also from Texas, who managed to reach Sarangpur on Wednesday morning. "I paid Rs 1.47 lakh for the ticket. But it is double the usual airfare."
Brahmbhatt said, "All flights from the US were full. People reached Dubai easily, but from there it was really difficult to come to Ahmedabad." Brahmbhatt said his entire family wanted to come, and although there was no financial constraint, tickets were not available. "They were crestfallen because they could not travel," he said.
18/08/16 Bharat Yagnik/Times of India
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Overwhelming grief of devotees and their burning desire to pay homage to Pramukh Swami caused an explosive spike in airfares from the US and the UK to Mumbai and Gujarat, over the past four days. Over 7,000 NRGs have travelled to Gujarat in this period. Of the 15 chartered flights that landed recently in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Bhavnagar, seven came from abroad, said airport officials.
Normally, the ticket rate from Texas to any destination in Gujarat is around Rs 70,000. But since the followers of Pramukh Swami rushed to book tickets at the last minute, the rates skyrocketed. "Jaimin was a little late in booking and had to pay five times the normal fare," said Chandrakant Brahmbhatt (42) also from Texas, who managed to reach Sarangpur on Wednesday morning. "I paid Rs 1.47 lakh for the ticket. But it is double the usual airfare."
Brahmbhatt said, "All flights from the US were full. People reached Dubai easily, but from there it was really difficult to come to Ahmedabad." Brahmbhatt said his entire family wanted to come, and although there was no financial constraint, tickets were not available. "They were crestfallen because they could not travel," he said.
18/08/16 Bharat Yagnik/Times of India
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