In his childhood, Jaideep Devare always dreamt of flying an aircraft. In fact, when he was young, he would often visit the cockpit whenever he flew on holidays. "It was easy talking to pilots then," says the Founding Member and Managing Director of Mahindra Insurance Brokers. His dreams got wings when a friend from the Indian Air Force persuaded him to learn flying. Pilot training and licence followed. Devare, who has been pursuing his hobby for the last three years, says the passion for flying helps him professionally as well.
"It helped me develop the ability to take on calculated risks because flying is about taking risks." Manoeuvring a flight requires presence of mind as well as skills, he adds. Devare, who helps his clients manage risks by taking insurance cover for businesses, sees many similarities between insurance and flying; both, he says, involve risk and discipline. With close to three decades of experience in the corporate world, he has flown the Cessna 172R, which does not have an autopilot mode, and dreams of flying fighter jets one day. "I also want to fly over the snow-clad mountains," he says.