Spiritual leader Dhirendra Shastri, known as Bageshwar Maharaj, spoke on Sunday about Captain Smit Machchhar’s actions during the attack on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Shastri recalled that the pilot’s faith in Lord Hanuman and his recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa gave him the confidence to confront the crisis.
During a spiritual gathering, Shastri expressed pride in being a devotee of Lord Hanuman and in reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. He referred to a video call between Captain Machchhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which the pilot described how he continued chanting the prayer while battling the attacker inside the cockpit.
Captain Machchhar explained to the Prime Minister that the aircraft was in a critical situation with more than 100 people on board and that panic had set in. He risked his own life to fight back against the co‑pilot who had taken control of the aircraft. The captain said he kept chanting the Hanuman Chalisa as the plane began to plunge, which helped him maintain self‑confidence and ultimately restore control.
Shastri concluded that faith in Lord Hanuman can produce a powerful sense of self‑confidence. He noted that the captain also shares the prayer with his two‑year‑old son, chanting the Hanuman Chalisa daily for him.
