The Air Deccan Revolution   In August 2003, Captain G. R. Gopinath launched Air Deccan with a promise that sounded almost absurd at the time: “Now every Indian can fly.” This was not a slogan designed by an advertising agency. It was a business philosophy.   Air Deccan introduced the true low-cost carrier (LCC) model in India. Tickets were sold for as little as ₹1, and every operational decision was designed to minimise costs—no free meals. No frills. High aircraft utilisatio

Vijay Mallya’s public image today is inseparable from corporate scandal and financial collapse. Yet reducing him to a cautionary headline misses a deeper and more instructive story.   This article is neither a defence nor a hit piece. It is an attempt to understand how Vijay Mallya’s personality—his instincts, beliefs, and excesses—first created enormous value and later destroyed it.   More importantly, it explores how that personality shaped one of India’s most ambitious and