India, Aug. 28 -- Post the Air India crash in June, India's civil aviation regulator, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA), the airlines it regulates, and their safety practices, have all been facing intense public scrutiny in Parliament and in the media. Every minor development in the civil aviation sector is now being dissected, leading to paranoia creeping into the minds of the ordinary flyer.

Recently, on a flight from the national capital to Goa, a woman seated next to me prayed for such a long time at take-off that I thanked her for praying on behalf of both of us. Ever since she saw the video of the June crash, she said, she prays harder than she did earlier upon boarding an aircraft - which, she added, is thankfully n...