A New Beginning!!!

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The ambulance was rushing madly on the busy street with the siren loud enough to clear the way. Blood was oozing ceaselessly covering up most part of the ambulance. The victim was in her mid-twenties and got hit by a SUV. With every minute passing by she was collapsing. The doctors in the ambulance were trying hard to stabilize her, but the condition didn’t seem to normalize at all.

Meanwhile far away, Rishak looked tense as he rode through the streets of the city. He stopped in by few stores, enquired hurriedly and moved over feeling let down everywhere. Right from dusk, he had been searching for his wife Pravalika, an IT employee working for an MNC at the electronic city, who has not turned home. Sita aunt who was passing by the street noticed Rishak tensed and hence she approached him quizzed.

“What is it Rishak, I could sense fear on your face. Is there something wrong?”

“Pravalika is not back home aunt. I tried reaching her mobile, spoke with couple of her friends and even searched the place she visited often. No sign of her anywhere”

“Don’t worry my son. She might be held up with some work. Check if she had left any message for you”

Actually aunt, this morning we had a small argument and out of my ego I just walked out of the house without saying a word. She was very upset then and I never tried speaking with her all through the day. My instinct says something worse could have happened. “No son, don’t give up your hope. She will be fine.” I suggest you better lodge a complaint with the police and they might trace her.

The ambulance had made it to the hospital meantime and Pravalika was being treated. Doctors moved in and out of the theater but her condition had not improved since. The viability of making through the operation was very thin, yet the doctors did their best. Meanwhile Rishak lodged a complaint with the local police and with the help of his friends he started looking out for his wife.

Away from all this commotion, a lady in her mid-thirties was trembling out of fear. She kept looking out for someone, still ignoring the tears rolling out of her eyes. From her attire to the decors on the wall, a sense of richness was felt everywhere. Within minutes a car rolled in and she almost stormed to the entrance. Shaking madly from head to toe, she hugged her husband and confessed of the accident that she caused this evening. Her husband understood the seriousness of the issue and took control of the situation still consoling his wife. He took the wheels straight to the hospital where the young lady was being treated. He dialed in few numbers and with his authority he made sure that the lady survived.

As the clock ticked away, Rishak’s fear kept building. The group had almost swept the city clean searching for Pravalika, but no traces of her. Leading hospitals were searched too including the Global hospital, where she was being treated. But when Rishak had described of her identity there, the hospital staffs declined any such patient being admitted under Pravalika's name. However she was treated there with a different name, since none of her ID was recovered from the site.  

It was midnight and still no signs of her. Rishak slowly started acting madly. He started blaming himself for her missing. All possible ways of pacifying Rishak went in vain. It took almost an hour for his friends to get him under control. So as they were trying to get him back on feet, a police vehicle came halting in front of them. The Inspector informed Rishak that they have found an accident victim matching his wife’s description and that he come with them to identify her.

Back at the hospital, the operation was a success and she was moved to the ICU. Closing in on her bed, Rishak almost lost his balance as he couldn’t see his wife in such a state. He was almost lost in words as he had caused too much pain to Pravalika. Only if he had let go of his ego that day, she would not have ended up here. Though many tried consoling him, he was defiant. He wanted to be by her side always and budged anyone trying to move him away from her. Hours rolled on and he still had his face close to hers, waiting for her eyes to open.

It was almost day break when one of his primary sense “Touch” sent electrical waves to the brain. He could slowly feel the wetness on his hand. He slowly lifted his head only to find Pravalika’s tear rolling down her cheek and splashing on to his hand. Rishak was dumbstruck looking at his beautiful wife in such a condition. His happiness knew no boundaries but at the same time felt sad on her injuries. She smiled weakly at his husband and asked him to come close.

“Did you panic when I didn’t make home sweetie?”, still struggling with words as she spoke.

“I almost died not able to trace you anywhere baby.” I am really sorry for all my evil acts. I should have called you and apologized. Pardon me sweets. I cannot look at you in this state. Please get well soon and come back to me; almost crying wildly.

“You still get a better chance of marrying another hot girl if I die, right!” smiling wickedly at him amidst all the wounds on her face.

“I love you the most my sweets”, caressing her hair gently. I will do anything for you but please don't ever think of leaving me alone.

“Ahaan, so what if I tell you to jump out of the train, will you do it for me?” asked Pravalika, remembering how Rishak used to follow her day and night, trying to lift her off her feet with his charm.

“I will not jump baby, smiling naughtily and kissing on her forehead” I wish to spend the rest of my life holding your hand.”

And that is how a new relationship blossomed. It’s always hard to realize the importance of a person when they are close by your side.    

Sitting by her side; first and the last.

The semester was closing in and each corner of the hostel was bustling with student activities. Everyday witnessed a different scenario as each exams unfolded. Too many emotions were expressed. A few had their paper highly challenging; while few had an easy go. Over and all it was an active atmosphere round the clock. Days rolled on and it was the final exam day. A sense of relief was about to hit us, not because the exams were wrapping up, but that we had a weeklong vacation to cherish about. And it was even more to relish for the hostellers, as we would be returning home after a long time.

Three long hours of pain staking exam and then we were all free. The first ray of smile and joy were to be seen on almost every hosteller’s face. I quickly rushed to the hostel just in time to pack my bags and head out, as I had a different itinerary ahead. Once reaching the bus terminus, I bid adieu to my buddies and was looking out for that one person, who had asked to me meet there.

Walking almost the length and breadth of the bus station, I could nowhere find her. Then suddenly I heard my name being called aloud, just loud enough to make all passerby turn their heads. I turned around along with them only to find her standing at one of the shops, at a distance.

“Deepak, over here” came in Payal’s voice again, waving her hand signaling me.

I moved my lazy ass towards her and as I closed in I saw Mithi too, standing close to her. Payal and Mithi were my classmates. More than Payal, it was with Mithi with whom I shared a great bond of friendship. During most of the lab session, Mithi and I used to be in the same group as our names came one after the other on the roll. So over the days we grew closer and almost shared everything.  

But with Payal, it was a different kind of interest that I had. She was good looking, modern and well yes she had crush on me right from the first year. I liked her too but neither of us had plans of getting into a serious relationship then and we hardly spoke to each other, be it at the college or elsewhere.

Actually it was Payal’s idea to meet that day. I closed upon them and we started chatting instantly. It was mostly Mithi and I who spoke the most, while Payal remind silent listening to all the crap that we spoke. Very slowly the bus that we were waiting for turned up at the station and we boarded it, just in case to find the best seats. Mithi took the window, Payal in the middle and I at the aisle. That was the first time that Payal and I were sitting so close. She was both shy and excited to sit close to me, which i found it clearly reflecting in her stunning eyes.

Minutes later the bus drove off into downtown and all through the way we had fun. All three of us had the best time of our life as we never had such a time at college, especially with all the rules around you. However the fortune did not last long. Half way down the journey, I had to change place as I had to offer the seat to an old women who was struggling with the heavy crowd. Looking me standing lonely Mithi too stood up from her seat and joined me. She was always there to support me, however many a time I had let her down, even during her most important moments, to which I had regretted a lot.

Getting down at our stop, we were greeted by one of Payal’s close friend. Introducing herself casually, she took us all to a nearby restaurant where we had decided to meet initially, as per the plan. Getting to the restaurant, Payal and her friend were having their own time while Mithi and I were left out with nothing but to just stare at each other. Then and there we spoke of about the usual college stuffs while the other 2 girls were having their time off. Occasionally they used to look at us, gave a weird smile while still conversing.

It was very clear from their facial expression that they were making fun of us. Time was ticking away and I was bored of staying there further, so was Mithi. Finally to break the silence I told the other two  girls about leaving, but then Payal’s friend pitched in.

“Why don’t we have something before we leave”? What do you say Deepak, still with a weak smile on her face?

I was getting furious with each minute passing off, yet did not have it get reflected on my face. “Yeah, we shall. I prefer something light and so I will go with a shake. You people order the ones that you prefer”.

The waiter brought in our order after some time and I totally lost my mind is speaking with Payal. I was fully busy speaking with Mithi as she gave a nice company to me. The girls witnessed my displeasure and they slowly brought down their speech. Payal did try once or twice to grab my attention towards her so that I start talking with her. But I purposely avoided her and was more comfortable with Mithi. The girls quickly whispered amidst themselves and spoke out.

“It was nice meeting you all”, said Payal friend to which I gave a weak smile as if I didn’t care WTF was she doing there. Minutes later we stepped out of the restaurant. I just waved at Payal, and took Mithi with me as we were to take the same bus back home. Payal was completely taken back with my sudden firm act and I was sure that she might pull up a fight for this. But who the fuck cares as I had already made up my mind that it won’t work between us. Without even turning back I just went ahead pulling Mithi along with me, who was completely unaware of my actions and ignoring Payal's repeated call. That meet was the first and last between us, though Payal tried to come up with many later, I had already moved on.

Hello 6E!!!

It was a cold winter morning at the nation’s capital. The city posed a dead silence almost everywhere as the fog had spread its chunky blanket right upon the city, turning down the visibility to near zero. Nowhere could the India gate or the Parliament house or the Delhi Metro or the local shops to be seen even from a mile away.

It has been incessant over the decade that Northern India had been witnessing colder winter, making livelihood a challenge throughout the season. The Delhiites always enjoyed the warmth of staying indoor but it were the street dwellers who suffered the most, battling the strong gusty winds. Over and all it was going to be a lazy day as hardly anyone would wish to hit the streets.

With such a weather across the region and a nice warm blanket encrusting me, I wished to be not disturbed till the next season turns up. However my wish didn’t seem to last even for few minutes as the alarm in my mobile went off ceaselessly. With my eyes still shut, I tried finding the mobile and turn it off just not to interrupt my blessed sleep. Half opening my eyes just to hit the right button, I saw the time as 6am and I had a long journey ahead of me to take. So thinking of it and with a heavy heart I just pushed off the blanket away, wondering when I would get back into it again. Moving on to the living room shivering right from top to bottom, I found my parent busy with work. My father was getting the bags packed up and my mom was busy preparing the food to be carried.

I was never an early bee right from childhood and so getting up early in the morning was the greatest feat of all. Half asleep, I went around the house to check if my brothers had woken up too or if they were still sleeping. When it comes to my brothers, I had always wished the best to happen with them and so I did not wanted them to get out of bed so soon just for the reason that I was travelling. I ensured they slept comfortably and went off to get ready, as my father had sent out two warning calls of me missing the flight. An hour later I was dressed up and ready to leave. My father loaded the bags onto the car and my mother handed over the meal box along with a big list of do’s and don’ts to remember. Nodding to everything that she said, I laced up and went straight to the car.

Leaving our apartment we were instantly welcomed by the thick layer of fog, which had barely ceased since morning. Navigating amidst it was a tough challenge that we even lost track of the airport quite often en route. Finally taking the right lane and turn, we were greeted by the early morning traffic that was heading towards Gurgaon, the next emerging metropolis. 15 minutes of drive then on the highway we were greeted by the mighty sign board leading towards the airport. Taking a diversion from the mad crowd of vehicles, we entered the perimeter of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. At a distance Terminal 1D was gleaming beautifully with mist covering the steel and glass terminal. This terminal is the home base for some of the leading Low Cost Carriers in India. And the Full Service Carriers had their very own dedicated terminal, the world famous T3 or Terminal 3.

The early morning rush was rightly visible from the very entrance and so I docked my bags out of the car far from the terminal and bid goodbye to my dad. As I pushed the trolley towards the mad crowd, the level of excitement within me kept rising because it was going to be my first solo flight. I have this habit of being distinct always and so i wish every flight journey to be unique in some manner or other. It would be mostly like I pick up a new destination, a new airline, a new aircraft type every time, which altogether sums up to a new expectation of what is going to be ahead of me.

Cutting past pack of people and vehicle, I made my way into the terminal after a long wait. Once inside, it was entirely a different world. People were rushing up in all the directions around me. The urge to catch their flight was almost witnessed in everyone’s eyes. And so were the airline ground staffs too, who were pitching into the scene every single time an incident turns up. It were the ground force team who were actually responsible for the quick and prompt turnaround of each aircraft. And in airports across metropolis, it was kind of a double shift that each of the staff encounters. Their work load and the stress level is relatively higher than other minor airports. I checked on my watch and felt little relaxed as I had almost 2 hours 30 minutes for my flight to lift off. So not rushing up, I slowly moved towards the baggage screening and off to the check in counter, which had the most beautiful staff seated.

The LCC market in India was predominantly occupied by IndiGo, followed by SpiceJet and GoAir. Though 20 plus checkin counters were available for IndiGo at the terminal, the morning rush had taken its toll across the counters.  Indigo’s primary hub was (IATA Code: DEL) and so most of the day’s first flight took off from the capital be it right from dawn. Witnessing a huge passenger turnaround during the early hour of day was a routine to the ground force team and they were trained in accordance to handle it.

Well it took another 35 minutes for me to reach the counter that I was looking for. A gorgeous young lady, in her mid-twenties greeted me with a stunning smile. I instantly got knocked over with her beauty, yet managed to stay steady and answer her. She verified the ticket, made an entry of my PNR in her system, and had my name cross checked as Rithvik with the driving license that I provided her. Once verified she tagged the bags and handed me the boarding pass instructing the gate for departure, all with a broad smile, enough to knock me down completely. Smiling back at her, I collected the boarding pass and walked off weakly wondering why not I consider taking up a career in aviation.

As I closed in at the security check, I was not taken back looking at the never ending queue. The Central Industrial Security Force, who took care of the security at the airports were at their best trying to move the queue forward, but people came turning up over and again. Spending an ample amount of time there watching each scene unfold, I slowly moved around in the queue only to get cleared off after a long wait and head towards the beautiful cafeteria, located on the top floor of the terminal. This cafeteria gave a splendid panoramic view of IGI’s airside. The view was breathtaking as you could see large number of blue and red birds docked next to one another. It was really hard to count the number of Indigo and SpiceJet aircraft's parked, one after the other. The ground force of both the airlines were on their top trying to get each flight, on air on schedule. I opened the box of roti and panner mutter masala that my mom had packed and sat with the mesmerizing view of airside ahead of me. The food was delicious as usual and I never found a food tastier than my mom preparation.

Twenty minutes down the line, I heard the boarding call of my flight. I packed up my bag and looked over for the flight information display, just to ensure that I heard right. As I gazed over the flight information board, I found SpiceJet and GoAir too had a flight departing to (IATA Code: MAA) closely around the same time as that of my flight. After a minute wait my flight detail “6E454 DEL to MAA – BOARDING Gate 10” was flashing on the screen. Relieved to know that there was no delay due to the fog, I moved on looking for my gate.

The blue bird that was about to fly me back to Chennai was parked majestically at a distance and posed stunningly with the first rays of sun. Welcomed once again by adorable ladies as I boarded, I went straight to my seat 17C, cut passing fellow passengers who blocked the way trying to sort different issues. Mine was an “Aisle” seat and I was able to witness all the people moving around, well of course the flight stewards too.

IndiGo had the best “On Time Performance” amidst its competitors and I experienced it right on that flight. Within minutes of boarding, the aircraft was pushed back and was ready to fly out still ensuring highest level of safety. IndiGo maintained a single aircraft throughout its fleet, the Airbus A320. A single aisle narrow body jet, it was the most efficient aircraft in the segment than its competitor, the Boeing 737. Not only with the aircraft but IndiGo was also famous for having the all-female cabin crew service, which not many carriers choose to follow. This policy of maintaining a single fleet had helped the aircraft stay on top consequently and reap profits YoY right from its first flight.

As the captain had announced of a short taxiing, the cabin crew had to demonstrate the safety procedures swiftly and buckle up in their jump seats for takeoff. In the next 3^rd minute, the aircraft had centered itself onto the runway 28 and was ready for takeoff. IGI was the only airport in the country to have a near parallel 3 runway with CAT III-B ILS (Instrument Landing System). And with the inauguration of runway 11/29, the longest and the most effective one in the country, the number of aircraft's departing and arriving has doubled over the time. During peak hours, it has helped in reducing the stress and delay experienced over the other two runways.

 I had heard most complain of nausea and vomiting while takeoff. But believe me the sensation you get when the Prat & Whitney engines come to life is adventurous and thrilling. And especially the thrust it produces, Oh god!!! You just get the feel of a roller coaster ride. The captain announced the takeoff clearance and the engines roared into life taking us into the air within seconds. I was enthralled and I could not have asked for anything better than that. I enjoyed that feel of getting into the air.

The total flying hour was 3 hours and 30 minutes, with a 45 minutes layover at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (IATA Code: HYD) en route. Shortly after takeoff the inflight service commenced. As it was a LCC, meals were to be purchased separately and there were few who enjoyed having a hot sip at 35000 feet. I was left out with options to wade my time off as I was travelling alone. Then and there the cabin crew would go past me, which was of little soothing to my eyes but that too lasted for few seconds. With very little hope, I started off a conversation with my fellow passenger. Luckily he seemed interested in one and so we were on talking over and about everything. The conversation was really interesting as not many would turn to speak out to a stranger. He was a budding entrepreneur who was on his way to Hyderabad to promote his venture.

Time flew swiftly as we spoke and an hour later the captain announced the decent into Hyderabad airspace. Minutes passed and the mighty bird touched down on to runway 27L. The turnaround time was 45 minutes right from the time 6E454 docked at the gates and so I had ample time to stretch. Reaching the rear of the aircraft I got out on to the ramp and instantly the smell of ATF (Air Turbine Fuel) aroused me. I was warned of not to get far away from the aircraft as it was treated as a security breach and so I stayed close to it, witnessing the activities taking place around me. Couple of Domestic and International carriers were parked away from our aircraft and the weather outside was little hot, as winters were not so extreme in the south central India.

Passengers travelling from HYD to MAA had boarded in the meantime and one of the cabin crew lady signaled me to get in as it was time to push back. The aircraft taxied onto the runway on time once again and took off as scheduled. The second leg of the flight was relatively short compared to the first and so we were expected to touch down at Chennai in another 90 minutes without any delay. The seats next to me were empty as were most around. Over all it was not a full flight that day and passengers had the privilege to move around the seats. I took over the window seat just to enjoy the sublime view of the earth below me. The clouds sparkled with the sun’s ray and the aircraft was gliding gently above it. Time flew off swiftly and we were descending into Chennai. The city’s bird eye view was scintillating. And on final approach, 6E454 was instructed to make a sea side approach rather than the city side and get in through runway 25.

The view of the sea waves hitting the shores of Marina beach, the world’s second longest beach, was absolutely stunning. I was awestruck with nature’s beauty and the perfection in god’s creation. Nothing can replace it and I could not lose to erase the view off my mind. Though i had been to the beach many a time, this particular view of it was engaging. Other notable landmarks of Chennai too gave an artistic view from the top. Very shortly the plane entered the airfield and made a smooth landing at the Anna International Airport (IATA Code: MAA). The weather was sunny and there were couple of domestic carriers taxing out, ready to fly while few others were parked around the airfield. Once 6E454 got its slot at one of the gates, the aircraft drifted in and halted turning down the engines. I quickly approached the cabin crew for a picture with them. However they refused to pose as it was against the DGCA rules then. So with a heavy heart I disembarked the flight, turned back to have one last look at the blue bird hoping to take control of it as a commander, some day. With that in mind I moved my ass off to the arrival hall, just in time to collect the bags and head into the humid city.

Though the first solo flight was not so interesting, I enjoyed the flight overall and the urge to become a Pilot kept blooming. Till date I would have taken 50 plus flights and every time as I look at the crew take the cockpit, my desire to sit there shoots up thinking when will that one day turn up?