September 24th, 2008…..the day…..or more appropriately the dawn I [and some others] was eagerly awaiting was here. It wasn’t that easy a road to reach and be sitting at the renovated GVK Chhatrapati Shivaji Mumbai International Airport….n am not talkin abt the Mumbai traffic….but much more. 6 of us who have never set foot outside the famed Indian borders [I’ve though sneaked into Nepal a coupla times for shoppin’]…..6 of us who were more curious than the batsman awaiting his 3rd umpire decision and without a doubt knew that the next 90 days wud b nuthng less than an adventure of sorts……..this was definitely a “trip”…..a “trance “of a different hue…..
For me it was more of a milestone….[all faff and travelling technical words r like so similar….lol…]. Have always wanted to study in a foreign univ + international travel [as much I loved travellin within the country] + closer to my 2 passions of Music and Soccer and + Yes!!! France…..EUROPE!!!!.......In life at times things just work out for the heck of it happening…..my plan too took its share of beating but at last…..Alas…..thanks to some very special people in my life…..am here writing this post in a different land, breathing air which smells new….
Coming back to our journey and its much awaited details…..
Our myth of super sexy international air hostesses got lost and evaporated with the propane and its burning…..they were nothing less than stentorian teachers….dark frames, muscular and huge….not hot but bloody scary….n hence minimal use of the “call air hostess syndrome” which was pre planned by the guys……infact our respect for Kingfisher grew with every meal and every terrifying exchange of French words which took place…on top of that the coffee served made us realize the importance of milk and sugar…..and more of it….looks like they steal every sachet of it and feed it again to their cows…recycling it seems ….damn…...and hence Coffee [sans milk sugar] + bun dipped in + Kung Fu Panda = survival aboard Finnair……Indian style “ Jugaar”. With the huge palette of entertainment feeds[movies,sitcoms,audio] available in front of u….n wen u feel like ‘vasool-ing’ every bit of that ticket price…..u actually end up losing much more…..these human minds….u end up startin n listenin to lil bit of few things…..as weneva u start sumthng new the opportunity cost theory in Mba classes haunt you….and yes u change……and change…..and also keep smiling at the thought that you get to keep the freebies on flight…..duh….u r fuckin payin for them…..n that too hav paid in advance…..all 6 of us waitin as to who wud ask whether the beer and juice served are charged or not……and the moment we find out its not….row 24’s consumption is way more than the entire economy class….:)
Our flight gets delayed and we [read: Padhiary, the star in our group….Note the word ‘shining’ is dismally and consciously given a miss] get worried about our connecting flight from Helsinki to Paris. Just before we land at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport the sight below is worth a thousand words…oh sorry thousand islands…..spectacularly spread out below us…..as if unravellin the European mystery steadily….the houses seem to be Cut-Copy-Paste straight from Monopoly………….wat an Intro!!!....oh wait….no we have to announce that we Indians have arrived and so the star, Padhiary gets up and takes someone else’s handbag[by mistake]….but before he gets a Finnish fist on his face I advise him against doin things like that…..
We land and can’t even breathe International O2 ….our connecting flight wud leave in the next 30 mins from some other corner of this mall…..oh sorry airport…..we like other smart ones keep following directions….but get separated in this Modern Kumbh Mela….all adorned with everything…..though I didn’t even have the time to look around in the midst of the 1000m Olympic gold with baggage….but there was one thing which struck me…..out of nowhere this couple gets up amidst others drinkin wine and sharing a light chit chat…..and start doing salsa in the middle of the airport……wow….I mean WOW!!!.....one moment I definitely won’t forget….and the next thing to unfaze me was my name being announced….felt special….Aha!!!
We were the last ones to enter the flight and this time an intro to the so called ‘rude-french’ people…..seems the flight was waitin for us….hahhaha…..n faces stare at us hurling abuses +sarcasm in more than 25 different languages at one time ….Globalisation I say…..nono….thats not all…we still waitin for Ms Sweta…and so Padhiary star goes looking for the lost planet breakin all rules and norms of outer space….and the flight waits for 15 more mins…..n the staring does not stop…
Indian Version: We were being ‘checked out’ before people ‘checking ‘ us in….
Oh she arrives…..and smiles to everyone’s amazement……my eyes change view and…a French woman reading a paper with Headlines blaring out…..”Indian workers kill CEO”…..she turns around stares back…..that’s what I call a ‘killer-look’.
Flight from Helsinki to Paris was serene….pristine and other such similar sounding words….I pod is released from my bag….Floyd unveiled….n lemme describe the sight out of my lucky window seat….3 simultaneous planes with us….looked like human birds…flyin in harmony….many more trails of previous flights bein seen…..the paths of unknowns to unknown destinations…..wierd….and still we knew that all would meet on this land called Earth…..As I secretely thank the Wright brothers for their thought and vision….I see massive masses of snow below me…..wow….after 5 mins eyes open oh sorry….they were clouds….one cannot make out the difference between snow and cloud…..different forms of water maybe…..”It’s all the same, only the names have changed-Bon Jovi” …..stunning and magnificent….thought it was Greenland…..the song changes …..”Rise Up”…..Apt…..very apt……
“My dream is to fly; oh by the rainbow so high……my dream is to fly……Direction SKY…”
