Smit Machchhar, Dharma, and the civilizational power of Bharat

The convergence of personal conviction and selfless duty represents the most potent manifestation of Bharat’s soft power.

Last month, the confined cockpit of a commercial aircraft flying above Saudi Arabia became the setting for an extraordinary test of human endurance. Captain Smit Machchhar, commanding flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, faced a sudden, violent attack by his co-pilot. The Boeing 737, carrying more than 170 passengers and crew, began a rapid descent. Seriously injured and bleeding, Machchhar was confronted with a terrible choice: remain incapacitated on the floor and succumb to the unfolding disaster, or summon the strength to intervene. Recounting the ordeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Machchhar explained a singular realization pierced his pain: the passengers would perish if he did not force himself up. One person’s courage has done better diplomacy and brought such international goodwill like no other for the positive perspective of the Indian civilization state and its Hindu Dharmic way of life.

Despite his severe injuries, he battled his way to the cockpit door and threw it open, creating a critical window for passengers and cabin crew to rush in and neutralize the threat. Other pilots on board helped manually stabilize the plunging aircraft, executing a safe emergency landing at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia. Reportedly, the rogue co-pilot had a premeditated intention to crash the heavily fuelled aircraft directly into the bustling passenger terminal at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. The ongoing investigation remains central to establishing the legal circumstances of the event. However, the broader significance of this episode extends far beyond international aviation security. What we can see is a compelling, incredibly vivid illustration of an enduring Indian ethical idea: the absolute obligation to act when the lives of others depend upon our intervention.

DHARMA BEYOND WORDS

You Might Be Interested In

Within Indian philosophical traditions, the concept of dharma encompasses duty, right conduct, and the heavy responsibilities accompanying one’s station in life. For any commercial pilot, protecting passengers is a baseline professional mandate. What profoundly distinguishes Captain Machchhar’s actions is his continued discharge of that immense responsibility when his own survival was deeply uncertain. This is dharma understood as decisive action executed under the most physically and psychologically agonizing circumstances imaginable. The Bhagavad Gita extensively explores the relationship between duty, disciplined action, and the paralyzing fear of consequences. In its second chapter, particularly in the resonant wisdom of verse 47, we are reminded that righteous action must be undertaken regardless of whether its fruits can be guaranteed. Machchhar’s instinctive conduct provides a breathtaking opportunity to understand the living, contemporary relevance of this ancient wisdom. A civilizational inheritance becomes meaningful when its ethical vocabulary finds spontaneous expression in human behaviour. Heroism is the conscious willingness to act responsibly and decisively in the face of crippling uncertainty, immense vulnerability, and grave personal danger.