Ranchi: Rs 35 lakh, three years of working out the permissions and navigating his single-engine aircraft through 14 counties - for 65-year-old Debashish Bannerjee, the ride wasn't easy but a promise had to be kept.
Three decades ago, Mr Banerjee had promised his mother that he would travel in his own aircraft back to Ranchi from America, where he was going to study.
He had hoped the promise would give his mother, who was suffering from breast cancer but shared his fascination for flying and aircraft, hope and let her live longer.
But his mother died a few days after the promise was made.
It took Mr Bannerjee, now a professor in US, 30 years to fulfil it. He got his flying licence in 2005 and then spent the next few years undertaking smaller solo missions when time permitted.
This year, he decided the time has come to return to Ranchi. "I had hoped my promise would have helped my mother, maybe it ease her suffering a bit. I had to keep the promise any which way," said Mr Bannerjee.
But Mr Banerjee's is also a flight to raise awareness on a condition he and many others in his family suffer from - diabetes. His aircraft - Rebecca - has the words 'raising awareness of diabetes' painted on the tail.
Mr Banneejee is scheduled to fly out on Saturday, first to Kolkata and then onwards but not without the satisfaction of having fulfilled the promise made to his mother.
Three decades ago, Mr Banerjee had promised his mother that he would travel in his own aircraft back to Ranchi from America, where he was going to study.
He had hoped the promise would give his mother, who was suffering from breast cancer but shared his fascination for flying and aircraft, hope and let her live longer.
This year, he decided the time has come to return to Ranchi. "I had hoped my promise would have helped my mother, maybe it ease her suffering a bit. I had to keep the promise any which way," said Mr Bannerjee.
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