Isha helps tribal entrepreneurs to go to Chennai in flight

Forty one tribal entrepreneurs from Thanikandi, Madakkad, Mullangadu, Pattiar Kovilpati villages around the Velliangiri foothills flew from Coimbatore to Chennai for the first time, thanks to Isha Foundation. They took off from Coimbatore at 11:30 am and landed in Chennai at 12:45 pm on an Indigo aircraft.

"Until now, we have only seen airplanes on television and in movies. It was very exciting to travel in an airplane for the first time," said Vellachiamma, native of Madakadu village, selling tender coconut at the Adiyogi complex in the Isha Yoga Center.
Since the Adiyogi statue was inaugurated in 2017, the demand for food stalls increased as the visitors and devotees increased. Living at the foothills of Velliangiri Hills, the tribals started running shops with the help of Isha monks and volunteers. They were able to take this journey to the skies via the profits earned through these shops.

Indigo set up a welcome board at the Coimbatore airport to highlight and welcome these first-time fliers and the pilot introduced them to the other passengers on the loudspeaker as they boarded the plane.
They came to Chennai via flight for the first time and also enjoyed travelling in Chennai. This first flight for the tribals also paved way for many other firsts. 

July 21 will be an unforgettable day in the life of these tribals who had never seen the sea, the beach, sunrise over the ocean, metro trains, malls, or even a cinema theater! Another surprise was travelling in the Chennai metro for the very first time. After travelling in the metro, they returned by train from Chennai to Coimbatore that evening."This is just the beginning. The number of people coming to Adiyogi will increase. So next year we will fly 100 more people. This is the wish of all of us," says Suryakumar from Mullankadu.