What would you do if you’re cruising at 30,000 feet in the air daily and are suddenly grounded for months? Well, these pilots started a hydroponics business on their terrace. A long-held ‘project’ in the mind of Mumbai-based domestic airline pilot Harsh Parekh, the Covid-19 lockdown paved the way to bring this idea into reality.
In 2017, Harsh witnessed a lady harvesting coriander leaves opposite the Kurla local train station in Mumbai.
“The coriander and other greens were being picked up along the railway lines of the station. The visuals lingered in my mind making me think about where our food comes from,” says Harsh Parekh, a pilot.
When he learned about hydroponics, the idea intrigued him. Harsh started researching on the topic and accessing all the details required to be such a farmer. But it was only during the Covid-19 lockdown around March when he shared the idea with his friend, also a captain with another private airline, Ishan Modi.