Monday, June 2, 2014

On board – Dubai to Trivandrum

When I approaching Dubai Airport, Terminal -1, I given a formal thanks to my Pakistani driver who collected my passport from Office.   Also, bestow one more thanks to Khan Bhai for his so called ‘advise’ for my vacation.

The lady who issued me boarding pass gifted an striking smile and while issuing blue colour boarding pass, she given a good message “Sir, hand luggage is less than the allowed and if you wish you can buy 04 Kg extra from Dutyfree shop’

Eureka! My mind yelled inside. While I am leaving the immigration, I put my mind on Ctrl+F mode to find out the stuff to buy from Dubai Dutyfree - weather is it liquor (to please my kith and kin), milk powder or Tang (to please my spouse) or sweets and toys (to please my daughter). When I entered there, an extra shopping pleasure invaded to me and my mind was eager to buy all the items in front of me. But my bad luck, I am restricted for only 4kg ?! Finally, I decided and bought 4 kg items from Dutyfree.

First three inevitable phases in the airport are completed within one hours – Getting the boarding pass (relax from extra luggage penalties) and security check-up (removing most of your stuff except shirt, pants and underwear and put it in screening) and give your passport to Immigration personnel and get a green stamp on the passport.

When I was standing in queue before the access gate of flight, I noticed the unusual feelings of people with smile, pleasure and the eagerness of their mind to reach home. Some guys are calling home with the coating of sweetness of love.  More than half of the passengers are going to home after one or two years. Their mind is ticking to see family and enjoy the period with them (better to tell parole!). They want to release their suppressed feelings of home, love, affection and sex. They are staying in camp and congested rooms; with the pressure of work from one end and money matters and its tension from other end - family. Bleeding for Company at day and for bedbugs at night!  Now the cork of all the suppressed feeling is going to open - within a short span of four hours journey.  The mood which I can see in the faces of passengers standing in the queue is amazing and rejuvenating.

One guy cannot control his temper and giving continuous kiss to his wife and telling her “darling don’t worry, I will reach within few hours you know”.

As usual, some patience-less guys are generating little rush in front of the final checking personnel and they are trying to console their customers with charming smile and words.

I just took my fresh book ‘The Secret Wish List’ of Preeti Shenoy. While I am passing through the tender love of Diksha and Ankit, one modest announcement of flight crew made hue and cry in front of the gate before the flight.

One lady gave us a warm welcome with an attractive smile. My mind says me ‘she is looking like Dikhsa’!

Inside the flight, people are busy to search their seat (it seems, if they are not discover their seat early, somebody usurp and sit there) and adjusting their hand luggage inside the cabin.

Yes, we the so called ‘cattle class’ are ready to fly from Dubai to Thirivananthapuram !

Lady cabin crews are busy with assisting passengers by keeping their hand luggage inside the cabin and adjusting the spaces. I saw one pretty crew standing on the handle of seat to adjust the cabin luggage inside, but before completing the assignment, her foot slipped and within a fraction of second, she fall down on the passage in between the seat. She fall on a nonagenarian with a “hoooo..” sound. Before somebody trying to help her, she recovered from the distress and pleads “sorry… sorry” to that nonagenarian. After few minutes again she turned and asked to him gentle man “sir, did I hurt you??” He replied with a smile “no.. it’s ok”. I stared him. Difficult to read the mind of man!

The captain of flight started talking in a lazy mood with an introduction and giving thanks to passengers for selecting his flight.  His sound reflects like a student who is exhausted after completing his home work!

The flight is going to reach thirty thousand feet above! The clouds are looking like heaps of cotton decorating the blue sky. My ear getting blocking in between and I can hear the sound of engine in different tone.

Another lady cabin crew appeared in front of us with some demonstration stuff and started her action song. I gazed her face, she is trying to hide a smile and doing the mime with utmost dedication. Actually this demonstration generated some kind fear on my mind and I started to think about the mishap and missing of recent Malaysian flight MH 370.

I had done few minutes research on her costumes and cosmetics. Pink lipstick, red nail polish, gentle hair style and sky blue colour dress. Her smile is good, body language is better and facial expression is superb.

While we are in thirty thousand feet above, I opened my laptop. Cabin venders (not street venders) started their sale. Actually they are versatile. Welcoming, announcing, demonstrating, selling precious sandwich, coffee, water etc., helping and guiding.

Passengers are enjoying the costly sandwiches, noodles, mineral water. Some guys are staring on the menu card and cursing the prices mentioned in US Dollar.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now above thirty two thousand feet……”. Nobody is bothered about the announcement of Captain.

The snoring sound of somebody from my back seat disturbed my laptop exercise.  I checked the source of sound. One guy is sleeping peacefully and hurting the peace of all others. Its looks like he is sleeping first time in his life.

After 45 minutes, I closed my laptop and resumed reading. As I am going through the world of Diksha and Ankit, I forgot my surroundings totally. Diksha’s teenage love and troubles in marriage with another man is started haunting me as well.

After few minutes, one soft doze peeped into my eye lids, then increased its weight and ultimately forced eyes to close!

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The sudden announcement of captain astonished my eyelids from sleep. I gazed on the window and immediately recognized that I am reaching the God’s Own Country! The green blanket of coconut trees welcoming our flight.

Some simple mayhem started inside the flight. Announcement is still going on and cabin crews are insisting passengers do not stampede before landing the flight. But the passengers are not in a mood to listen either captain or cabin crews. They are busy to pull out their cabin luggage and make the passage as a busy market. It seems flight is falling down to sea and all are trying to escape through emergency exit !

“Shit…. You can’t see…. Are you mad or going to die??”

Somebody is shouting. And others are laughing. The fact is while one guy pulling out his bag from cabin, nearby suitcase slipped and fall down to somebody’s head. The shouting is generating from that ill fated bald head!

I am still sitting in seat. Let the busy guys go first and wait at baggage collection area!

I am going to touch my home land, slowly and slowly. Goosebumps are generating in my body.

The cabin crews are standing in front of the exit gate given a charming smile with thanks for using their flight. Their ‘goodbye’ gave a hail to the sweetness and freshness of my home.


A cozy breeze giggled on my face and it said to me “Welcome back to Motherland”
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Note: This is the story I wrote on-board during my trip to Dubai to Trivandrum on 1st May 2014 (except last few paragraphs).

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