Ajay Singh is no stranger to departures. After a high-profile stint as officer on special duty in telecom, IT and information & broadcasting during the NDA government, a change of regime at the Centre in 2004 left him cooling his heels. So, he and a few friends bought a defunct airline, rechristened it SpiceJet and began operations from an office outside the cargo terminal at Delhi airport.
But, after the Gurgaon-based low-cost carrier recently got a new promoter in Sun TV founder Kalanithi Maran, who bought over 37 per cent in the airline and plans to acquire 20 per cent more through an open offer, it was clearly time for the 43-year-old Singh to disembark, even though he and his family continue to own 10 per cent stake in the airline.
What now? Well, he may have time now for his passion of collecting rare paintings, largely from the Bengal School. Or to catch up on his other two interests: movies and sports (he captained his school cricket team, with Shah Rukh Khan as wicketkeeper). But those who know this turnaround artist well vouch it won’t be long before Singh spreads his wings again.