Prime Minister – Smit, Namaste.

Captain Smit – Jai Hind, Sir. Namaste, Sir.

Prime Minister – How are you now, how is your health?

Captain Smit – Sir, everything is fine, Sir, all fine.

Prime Minister – See, the entire nation is praying for you. The chanting of Mahamrityunjaya is happening everywhere.

Captain Smit – Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister – Your courage, your patience, and your presence of mind - in a fraction of a second you took so many decisions…

Captain Smit – Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister – And saved so many lives. Today the entire nation can proudly say that we Indians are not people who take lives, we are people who save lives.

Captain Smit – Absolutely, Sir.

Prime Minister – And even when you had such a big wound on your body, when you yourself were fighting the battle between life and death, at that time you did not care for your own life, but cared for the lives of all the passengers. And most importantly, you raised the honor of 1.4 billion countrymen.

Captain Smit – Thank you, Sir.

Prime Minister – And that is why I feel pride from the depths of my heart.

Captain Smit – Sir, I… sorry.

Prime Minister – Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with Bhupendra Bhai, with Geeta Behen, with Sonal Behen. I could not speak with Java and Bobby. But I told Geeta Behen that though her name is Geeta, she has truly absorbed the essence of Krishna’s Gita. And she has shaped Smit’s life with those very values of the Gita.

Captain Smit – Absolutely, Sir.

Prime Minister – Smit, now I would like to hear from you.

Captain Smit – Sir, for me… I was telling Sir also… you are my greatest, greatest ideal, Sir. And you are calling me like this, encouraging me. I feel very, very, very proud. At that moment, Sir, yes, I was fighting for my life. But there was a moment when I realized that if I did not do something… because I had fallen, I had so many injuries, I was trapped below. And at that time I said to myself, if I do not get up… Sir, I have been flying aircraft in FZ for 17 years. I have been a captain for the past 11 years. And I know, even with my eyes closed, what is happening in the aircraft. When I was lying down, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. And I knew clearly that this was the last push - if Smit could just do it - the door was right there. Even then I was being hit, but I opened it, Sir. Then everyone came out, and everyone else had their role too. But knowingly I was saying, I was acting for my own life, but at the same time I knew I could not let them all die. After that, people here, in Saudi, here too - I could not have received better care or medical attention. And Sir, I am just… I am only in positivity. Whenever I feel pain, only one thing comes to me - I recite the Hanuman Chalisa. At that time too, I was only reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. And I know it was God who saved me. And now, Sir, your call has come - I feel immense pride. Until now I did not feel it. Now I do, Sir. Sorry, I am crying in front of you, Sir.

Prime Minister – Smit, if you cannot be emotional in front of me, then where else will you be?

Captain Smit – Sir, I never thought that I would speak with you, never thought.

Prime Minister – You have done such a great deed, brother, that every countryman today - even people around the world - are eager to see you, to speak with you. And this thing you told me about the Hanuman Chalisa - for that I bow to Geeta Behen, that she gave you such values, I bow to Bhupendra Bhai. And let me tell you, Smit, yesterday when I spoke with Sonal Behen, I was surprised - she spoke with such composure.

Captain Smit – Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister – She was speaking with such courage. Truly, I had never imagined that Sonal Behen would be able to speak with such composure in such circumstances. So I believe that, as a family, you have truly brought glory to the entire nation.

Captain Smit – Sir, every morning when I pray, my two‑year‑old son sits in my lap and I recite the Hanuman Chalisa to him. I tell him what I have been taught, because today we may be living away from our country, but we should never be away from our culture.

Prime Minister – That is absolutely right.

Captain Smit – And now, here, it does not even feel as if we are away from the country. The people here are taking care of us with so much love and attention.

Prime Minister – You may not know this, but in Savarkundla, in Wadhwan, people have created such an emotional atmosphere. And this is true across the whole of India. Yesterday, prayers, worship, and aarti were held in temples everywhere. Aarti was performed at pilgrimage sites across the country. Everyone is praying for your long life and good health. Therefore, you are certainly going to recover soon. India is eagerly waiting to welcome you. Now, whatever physical pain you may be experiencing, I can understand. You are a brave man, so perhaps you have made it easier for yourself to bear your wounds.

Captain Smit – No, Sir. I am not looking at this as a wound, because if I think of it as a wound, my recovery will become even more difficult. I am looking at it as a journey, something that will happen slowly, step by step, and will take time. But I am very, very confident that I will recover and become completely healthy again.

Prime Minister – I also express my heartfelt gratitude to the Saudi government and the UAE government for taking such good care of you. I am grateful to them as well. Smit, whenever you feel the need, I am only a phone call away.

Captain Smit – Thank you, Sir.

Prime Minister – But let me tell you, what you have done is truly extraordinary. Yesterday I was looking at the emotions people expressed on social media. People said that if this had not happened the way it did, nobody knows what India would have gone through, what all the pilots of India would have gone through, how all Indian pilots would have been viewed. You saved all of that. You have done something truly remarkable.

Captain Smit – Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister – When we meet, I will hear all the inside details later, because I do not want to discuss such things with you over a mobile phone.

Captain Smit – Alright, Sir.

Prime Minister – And you focus on recovering completely. The entire nation is with you.

Captain Smit – Thank you, Sir.

Prime Minister – I do not want to tire you out any further. My very best wishes are with you. Today is Gandhi Jayanti. You have shown through your actions what non‑violence truly means.

Captain Smit – Thank you, Sir.

Prime Minister – Alright then, Jai Shri Krishna. Jai Shri Krishna, my son. Let us also speak a little Gujarati.

Captain Smit – Jai Shri Krishna, Sir.

Prime Minister – Do Bobby and Jeeva speak Gujarati or not?

Captain Smit – Both of them do, Sir. Both of them speak Gujarati.

Prime Minister – They speak strong Gujarati, do they?

Captain Smit – Both of them learned Gujarati first, and only after that learned English.

Prime Minister – Really? Have you met the children? The children? Did the doctors allow you to meet them?

Captain Smit – My elder daughter came to meet me, but after seeing all this, she got frightened.

Prime Minister – I see... I see...

Captain Smit – She was a little unwell, and she is very close to me. And my younger son is only two years old, so they did not allow him to come.

Prime Minister – That is understandable. Care must be taken right now. But Sonal Behen is very courageous.

Captain Smit – Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister – Yesterday she spoke to me with such composure. Otherwise, from my experience, people are often unable to talk at all in such circumstances. There was not the slightest trace of complaint. I spoke yesterday with Bhupendra Bhai and Geeta Behen at Mumbai Airport. Even then, there was not a trace of complaint. They simply said that God would do what is best.

Captain Smit – Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister – Alright then, Jai Shri Krishna. Recover quickly, and then we shall meet.

Captain Smit – Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister – God bless you!

Captain Smit – Jai Hind.

Prime Minister – Jai Hind.

Disclaimer: Some portions of the conversation with the Prime Minister are also in Gujarati, which have been translated here to convey their intended meaning.

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MJPS/SS/VJ/ST