the aeroplane-wala nawabs

since i have been a recent traveler... i came across an entire new culture, an entire new breed called "the aeroplane-wala nawab" ('nawab' being lords or royalty in India) now you've got to understand that i don't travel much by plane. my last big journey was when i was 10 and that is a looonnggg time ago. later on i have been in domestic flights not lasting more than one hour. so by the time i realised i was defying gravity and 'flying' i was back down on solid ground. so this time, considering i was a fully mature person, travelling without 'adult supervision'.. my soul was receptive to all new experiences. i took in each and every sight, looked all around me with child-like eagerness which soaks in all the colours and smells and sounds. all around me, people were smelling of davidoff, nina ricci and chanel. everywhere i looked there were LV bags and prada shoes. but mixed with all of this was good old lifebouy soap and cinthol deo. all distinctions were removed because we all were travelling to 'phoren' shores. i could hear different languages being spoken but like all great rivers meeting the ocean, all of us spoke in one language for immigration check. 

first time, i witnessed a group going on Haj. first time, i saw the blush on a new bride on her way to her honeymoon. and first time i paid through my nose for breakfast! seriously dude, its just coffee and two slices of bread! now the thing is when you are travelling with an enthusiastic bunch of 'young ladies'... photo sessions are the norm. so i over came my initial shock and embarrassment  and posed and smiled against various backgrounds. i thought i would have been lost, but surprisingly for a country that cannot control its hormones... everything at the international airport is well organized and in control. all arrows pointed in the right direction to the right windows, the ladies room was where it was supposed to be, we got on the right bus for the right plane. thank god! coz frankly, i was worried about getting on the wrong plane... having seen the movie 'home alone 2' many times in the past.

the return journey was even more eventful. since i was travelling all alone i was in 'karate kid' mode. but coming back from my destination i met the real 'nawabs'. the prada, gucci and LV were replaced by north west hiking gear, aristocrat and VIP suitcases. all these people were travelling to middle eastern countries for jobs and some were going back home after completing super human feat of climbing various Himalayan peaks. the look on the man leaving home for 'phoren' shores, unsure about his future and destiny will haunt me always. they would call up from their not-so-smart phones and speak to their children or beloved ones. finally Mr. Graham Bell's invention was put to the real use that it was meant to be used for.. calling your beloved and saying "i love you, dont worry." i also came across a 'Jhonny Bravo' character all dressed smartly in suit-boot, even though the temperature outside was 33 degrees C. i was observing him right from security check. pulling his cabin bag with one hand in his pocket and looking around to see if he was being noticed. i was dreading that he might land up sitting next to me. what could the odds be, right? well the odds were high and "jhonny bravo" was sitting next to me!!! god save me!! a 5'4" suited man, having a hoitty-toitty attitude and flight delayed by 3 hours.. things could not be worse. the only ray of light at the end of this adventure was my family waiting for me patiently at mumbai airport. 

so coming back to the 'aeroplane-wala nawabs' - the davidoff smelling lady was truly a nawab when she dint mind sharing her personal space with the cinthol deo smelling chick. the labourer leaving his family behind was truly a nawab as he chose to fit in with the crowd while not forgetting his roots. Jhonny Bravo was a nawab in his own eyes, if that worked for him then good for him. as for me, i was just glad to witness this vibrant scenario. 

incidently, it must have been one hell of odds, coz i saw jhonny bravo later in the week riding a bike with a smug 'phoren-returned' look on his face and for a second we recognised each other. but i turned away coz i had acted like a snooty bitch and asked the air hostess to change my seat. i really was in no mood to fight my odds that day.