This happened in February 2017.
It was one of those days when I had to catch an early morning flight (Read: Indigo) to Mumbai from Chennai on a business trip. Needless to say, it is hard to pay attention at such times, well I woke up early at midnight to reach the airport. Due to some reasons unknown to me, I suddenly became wide awake. "Let me try and look around", I told myself. The result was an enriching experience!
The scenes are hard to describe, however, I will make an attempt.
- The rush was pretty much IN. At least 80% of the population were hooked to their mobile phones and walking fast to the destination. Whether the flight will take off as soon as they reach their gates is something only they can answer.
- A contemporary woman in saree calmly walking towards security check, with what looked like an iPhone on her left hand and a branded handbag on the right. One could guess that she is quite successful in her field, going by the sophisticated appearance
- Paatis (Accomplished grandmothers of Tamil Nadu) with their extended family finding a way through the queue before the entrance, Tam Brahm uncles carrying color printouts of the tickets and speaking in English and Tamil intermittently about their young ones in the Bay Area. Their veshti + viboothi combination deserves a special mention! Somehow a good-looking Sardar was in-between this Hum Aapke Hain Kaun family, appearing totally lost.
- Not all white and whites are nice. There is always a white and white guy who is a nadamaadum nagai kadai (Walking jewellery shop), whom I will not make jokes about for obvious reasons.
- You can never miss the random foreign tourists with that native language-speaking 'dude' who acts as an ISO certified guide, knowing everything about Tamil Nadu, more than Google.
- The random girl (who might fit as a candidate in Roadies) with T Shirt + Jeans + Overcoat combination whom some people always hope will sit next to them but will always end up in the next row
- The bald businessman with a frowning face answering heated calls on his Blackberry, the smiling business traveller in suits who smiles at everything (just like yours truly)
- To top it all, the big Indian Flag showing us all how we are possibly the only nation that is made of differences rather than similarities!
From that day onwards, I have paid more attention to things around me. Life, as it is, offers us a lot of joy - it is an intoxicating experience!
The next time you are boarding an early morning Indigo, stay awake at the airport!
Until next time,
Have fun!
It was one of those days when I had to catch an early morning flight (Read: Indigo) to Mumbai from Chennai on a business trip. Needless to say, it is hard to pay attention at such times, well I woke up early at midnight to reach the airport. Due to some reasons unknown to me, I suddenly became wide awake. "Let me try and look around", I told myself. The result was an enriching experience!
The scenes are hard to describe, however, I will make an attempt.
- The rush was pretty much IN. At least 80% of the population were hooked to their mobile phones and walking fast to the destination. Whether the flight will take off as soon as they reach their gates is something only they can answer.
- A contemporary woman in saree calmly walking towards security check, with what looked like an iPhone on her left hand and a branded handbag on the right. One could guess that she is quite successful in her field, going by the sophisticated appearance
- Paatis (Accomplished grandmothers of Tamil Nadu) with their extended family finding a way through the queue before the entrance, Tam Brahm uncles carrying color printouts of the tickets and speaking in English and Tamil intermittently about their young ones in the Bay Area. Their veshti + viboothi combination deserves a special mention! Somehow a good-looking Sardar was in-between this Hum Aapke Hain Kaun family, appearing totally lost.
- Not all white and whites are nice. There is always a white and white guy who is a nadamaadum nagai kadai (Walking jewellery shop), whom I will not make jokes about for obvious reasons.
- You can never miss the random foreign tourists with that native language-speaking 'dude' who acts as an ISO certified guide, knowing everything about Tamil Nadu, more than Google.
- The random girl (who might fit as a candidate in Roadies) with T Shirt + Jeans + Overcoat combination whom some people always hope will sit next to them but will always end up in the next row
- The bald businessman with a frowning face answering heated calls on his Blackberry, the smiling business traveller in suits who smiles at everything (just like yours truly)
From that day onwards, I have paid more attention to things around me. Life, as it is, offers us a lot of joy - it is an intoxicating experience!
The next time you are boarding an early morning Indigo, stay awake at the airport!
Until next time,
Have fun!
