Bangalore Air Cargo Club takes off with new ideas

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">BANGALORE: They have cruised out of the post-9/11 jolt. Blue skies have checked in with loads of hope and the future is knocking with tonnes of fortune. Their work hardly hits the headlines, as the plane men who own firms and fly them always corner the glory. In the centenary year of aviation, the backroom boys of Bangalore''s air cargo family are setting out on party mode.<br /><br />The Bangalore Air Cargo Club took birth 10 years ago.Various members from the air cargo industry, cargo agents, international freight forwarders and international cargo airlines infused flesh and blood into the club.<br /><br />Today, with over 100 members, the Cargo Club is taking off, with a new team brimming with ideas. <br /><br />"Our mission is to create a common platform, wherein all issues relating to the cargo trade could be discussed and resolved in a friendly and professional manner," Club president Nirmal Singh Sandhu told <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The Times of India </span>on Sunday. Nirmal is the director of Wilson Sandhu Logistics (India) Pvt Ltd, a leading international freight forwarding company in India. It is a joint venture between Swedish giant Wilson A.B. and the Sandhu Group.<br /><br />"We want to create a strong bond among our fellow members. The air cargo industry acts as the bridge between various business communities, importers, exporters and government bodies," Nirmal, who learned the tricks of the trade from Mumbai, said.<br /><br />Nirmal said the club has identified a few schools for the blind in city to extend a helping hand. "To start with, we will launch some schemes for the blind and if needed will fly in experts from Mumbai to treat them," he added.<br /><br />The club members are now gearing up for their 10th anniversary, which falls on January 9. They are pulling the best out of their wardrobes for the annual cargo ball and this time, it promises to be an evening with a difference.<br /><br />"It''s not going to be about wining and dining. The club will unravel its humane face on the occasion. We are raising funds from the industry and a major chunk will go towards the poor and needy," Nirmal added.<br /><br />Club secretary Antony Job said the cargo family would make their presence felt in taking up social issues.<br /><br />"By January 9, we will have a firm plan to help the needy. We are also planning to launch scholarships for under-privileged children of the air cargo industry personnel," Antony, who is the sales manager with T.T. Logistics, the general sales agent of British Airways World Cargo, said.</div> </div>