Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam & Vivek Gupta
While the likes of singing, dancing, and theatre are well-known hobbies, there are some not-so-common hobbies. One of them is plane spotting, an age old hobby which would previously include spotters sitting near airstrips and taking note of all arriving and departing flights, later documenting them through photos and videos.
If you’re among the many who believe in the ‘uncommonness’ of said hobby, a quick search on Instagram may compel you to believe otherwise. Spotters around the world actually have a huge following, and the Indian spotters aren’t far behind!
The Quint decided to spend the day with one of them to document what it takes to photograph planes, the challenges associated with the activity and above all, the love for flying machines.
Meet Sandeep Suresh, better known by his instagram handle delhi_spotter, who says that plane spotting is all about the adrenaline rush that lasts for about five minutes. What he means is that plane spotting has a lot to do with patience. Spotters wait for a long time to spot a plane, and when they see it, they only have a couple of seconds to get a shot of it.
Even though it has been three years since he started spotting, his love for flying machines dates back to when he was five years old - when his dad would take him to Pawan Hans’ airbase, a place he preferred over amusement parks.
Inspired by other aviation photographers, he took up photography and quickly gained a fan base on Instagram because of his handle, with the added advantage that there wasn’t any other spotter from Delhi on Instagram.
But plane spotting as a hobby in India isn’t a very easy job - especially since there aren’t any dedicated spots for spotters to spot planes, unlike other airports. On top of that, security officials are often wary of them and tend to look at them with a filter of suspicion.
“I think the problem revolves around the recognition of the hobby.”Sandeep Suresh
But as Suresh says, things have been getting better since, nowadays, airlines are recognising the hobby and are inviting spotters to attend events and inaugural flights.
He is hopeful that someday the circumstances for plane spotters will get better. Until then, ‘the show must go on.’
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