Gaurav Taneja was born to Yogendra Kumar Taneja, a retired bank officer and teacher Bharti Taneja, and raised in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his education at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. After that, he enrolled at the famed IIT Kharagpur. There, he studied civil engineering. Taneja’s passion for fitness, gyms, and bodybuilding began in high school when he would visit his school’s gym every day.
Biography
- Full Name Gaurav Taneja
- Nick Name Flying Beast
- Date of Birth 9 July 1986
- Age 37 Years Old
- Place of Birth Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Nationality Indian
- Religion Hinduism
- Zodiac Sign Cancer
- Profession YouTuber, Influencer, Pilot, Bodybuilder, Nutritionist and Aspiring Lawyer
- YouTube Channels Flying Beast, Fit Muscle TV, Rashbhari Ke Papa
Family
- Father Yogendra Kumar Taneja
- Mother Bharti Taneja
- Sister Swati Taneja
- Sister Rishi, Pihu
- Spouse Ritu Rathee
Physical Measurements
- Height 5 feet 7 inches
- Weight 91 kg
- Hair Color Black
- Eye Color Black
- Body Measurements Chest: 40 Inches
- Waist: 30 Inches
- Biceps: 16 Inches
Education
- College IIT, Kharagpur
- Qualification B. Tech in Civil Engineering (2004)
Early life and education
He attended Kanpur’s Dr. Virendra Swarup Education Centre for his schooling. In intermediate, he chose PCM (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics). He aspired to be a pilot after completing his intermediate. But his family’s financial situation prevented him from doing so.
He then enrolled in BITS Pilani, Dubai, to study engineering. However, he was not content and desired to attend India’s premier engineering college, IIT. So, he started preparing for the JEE exam and got a rank of 184 in JEE in his very first attempt. In 2004, He joined IIT Kharagpur to study civil engineering.
He devoted all of his time to studying and stopped attending the gym. While in his final year of engineering, Gaurav did try for MBA, but as he wasn’t interested in it, he didn’t pursue it. Here is where he pursued his passion for bodybuilding and graduated in 2008.
Choosing Aviation as a career
Gaurav Taneja revived his dream of becoming a pilot after graduation. His father initially opposed his decision to become a pilot because no one in his family was a pilot. But, he persuaded his father to let him follow his ambition of becoming a pilot and went to the United States for training.
He returned to India in 2009. He had his foreign private pilot’s license converted to an Indian private pilot’s certificate. However, he could not find work as a pilot. This was due to the severe worldwide recession.
Working as a Flight Instructor
He settled for a position as a flight instructor at Alpha Aviation Group after failing to work as a pilot. He was able to secure this position because of his flight instructor license. While working as an instructor, Gaurav couldn’t attend the gym. He wanted to pursue his passion for bodybuilding. However, he was always looking for a job as a pilot.
Finally, in 2011, he was hired as a pilot and assigned to Bengaluru. Where he resumed his fitness regimen and began going to the gym. He was then sent to Chennai as a captain. He began his career with IndiGo and then moved on to AirAsia.
Professional bodybuilding
Gaurav Taneja traveled to Delhi in 2012 to watch a bodybuilding competition. Where one of his friends participated. He was impressed when he witnessed thousands of people cheering for his friend.
This was when he decided to participate in bodybuilding competitions. He earned a gold medal in his first-ever bodybuilding competition a year later, in September 2013. For the next two years, he professionally competed very well in many bodybuilding competitions and won several gold medals. He accomplished all of this while working as a full-time airline pilot. He also earned certifications as a personal trainer and nutritionist.
Social media star
One of Gaurav Taneja’s acquaintances once put on a live stream of him exercising on Facebook while he was working out in a gym. His video was well-received by several of his pals. As a result, they began to ask him to make more videos and explain the process. Then he began publishing videos on his Facebook page regularly to reach as many people as possible. In 2016, he started his Youtube channel FitMuscle TV. Which featured his videos related to fitness.
Starting Flying Beast
He started posting workout videos on his YouTube channel. However, he realized that posting only workout videos might bore his followers. Therefore, he decided to diversify his content.
So he started a second YouTube channel for the vlogs. On December 1, 2017, he started his vlogging channel named Flying Beast. Gaurav Taneja’s vlogs became a hit among his followers. Subsequently, on July 8, 2020, He started his live stream channel by the name Rasbhari Ke Papa.
Personal life
According to sources, Gaurav first met Ritu Rathee at a quarterly training session held by the airlines for which Ritu worked. He was the captain of the same airline throughout the training. They had several chats during the training program. They became friends after these chats.
Ritu hails from Haryana, and much like Gaurav. She also received pilot training in the United States. And their story started there. They got married on 5 February 2016. On May 18, 2018, this couple was blessed with a daughter, Kaira Taneja.
Career in Law
On 17 October 2020, he decided to study law to become a lawyer, and he started his preparation. He got inspired to become a lawyer, bring a positive change to society, and contribute to the nation.
Whistleblower
On June 14, Gaurav Taneja was suspended by AirAsia India. Pointing out alleged violations of safety norms by the low-cost airliner.
He claimed that if the pilot fails to land the flight in the “Flap 3” mode. It violates the standard operating procedure (SOP) of airlines. Flaps are part of the wings of an aircraft and they are engaged to create drag during a landing or a take-off. Senior DGCA officials confirmed AirAsia India was under investigation after Taneja’s allegations.
Trivia
- Gaurav is a trained pilot. He is also an instructor. Additionally, he is a bodybuilder. Moreover, he is a nutritionist. Besides that, he is a lawyer.
- He is also a social media influencer. Furthermore, he is one of the top YouTube stars.
- He is truly a master of all trades and is an inspiration to many for his determination and righteousness.
- He has a humorous and compassionate nature, which delights the audience and has helped him gain such a large following.
