Sydney to Calcutta — Singapore Airlines

There is always something charming about going home. About visiting loved ones and spending time walking down the memory lane. Revisiting those smells and tastes of yester-years that are so natural to ones childhood. Its a walk through a mesh of life that is most nostalgic and filled with a labyrinth of beautiful meaning, confronting, joyous and full of life. You’ll know what I mean if you have been in a situation like mine but I think we all have in our own little ways.

Boarding a flight with 100 other Indians is no small feat and funny only in hindsight! Truly. What makes them so insolent is something I have pondered many a times. As we waited at Sydney to board the aircraft and the very first announcement was made to board the First class and Business class passengers… the whole mass of the Economy class seemed to showed around the entrance to the gangway. A second announcement was made to allow for families or mothers traveling with infants or children under 7 years and also to request the masses to sit down and wait their turn. You think they’d heed? Later the rows 50 onwards unto 60 were called in. I was seated in 58 so I started to proceed. An Indian lady probably in her late fifties cut right in front of me. Pushed me out of the way, bumped over my cabin baggage and walked on by totally unapologetically. I was seething with fury and retorted her demeanor with a assertive look:

“Do you mind?”

She stared me blank in the face without any sign of remorse and carried right on! Wonder why Indians get a bad name overseas being rude — well heres why… and there are millions of these uncouth masses.

Once inside the aircraft, things were pretty much under control and mostly orderly. My co-passenger, mostly a Singaporean, am guessing from his ‘la’ ordained sing-song accent) decided that he’d sleep most of the way with his legs wide open like a butterfly. But that was not enough he’d almost capture the shared arm-rest all the way to Singapore. There wasn’t much point in striving for justice I absorbed myself in the in-flight movies. I watched “Death defying acts” : Guy Pearce is starting to look old and Katherine Zeeta Jones, mmm I’m a bit partial to her. But you know what Katherine Zeeta Jones doing a scottish/irish accent took a lot getting used to. It was an OK movie bit slow though in places. Then I watched “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” a bit of a brit teen comedy, not much of a story line really but hey if you like Lyndsey Lohan’s movie this is no different. Georgia Nicolson — a 14-year-old girl who through her journal entries reveals her desire for a smaller nose, blonde hair and a boyfriend. There are some good moments in the movie though. Then I went on to watch parts of 2 Hindi movies: Mere Baap Pehle Aap, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. Melodramatic, overly twisted plot and it has a happy ending of course… with song and dance in all colours of the rainbow.

The landing at Singapore was one of the most smoothest landings I ‘ve probably experienced. Almost didn’t feel the bump or the air throttle that one normally hears from inside the plane. The plane arrived in the new terminal, its still under construction. A bit more colourful and hugely spacious. For some very odd reason it had a slight resemblance to the boarding area in Barcelona Airport. The new terminal in Singapore didn’t seem to have any shops though and I took the monorail to transit onto T2 from where my onward flight was. The train carriage was small and there were a lot of people who needed to transit. In hindsight I should’ve waited for the next train but… I got on board only to be pushed in like a sardine slammed and packed inside a tight tinbox. Ah then came the beautiful part… I could smell BO. Eeew! Luckily the transit took less than a minute!

I’m familiar with T2 and its always fun to look around and window shop. After a few indulgances I proceeded on to my next boarding area… The aircraft due to take us to Calcutta was coming in from Kuala Lumpur and was delayed by about 30 minutes. Soon it came to boarding time, the same fiasco started… everybody stands up and queues up in tripple lines right at the entrace to the gangway making it impossible even to wheel in disabled people. But this time the staff meant business. So boarding was a tad more ruly. Why oh why do Indian travelers have this problem? No BO’s so far. Thank God. I had a window seat this time and my seated in the same row next to me were an elderly couple. They almost had a religious crisis when my red wine was passed over them. And far worse when my non-vegetarian meal came wafting of Lamb to their utterly pristine vegetarian noses. I carefully unveiled my meal and started feasting. curiosity took the better of them and I could see they couldnt stop staring at my meal and then at me.. then at my wine and then the food again and then me… this continued for a while. On the plus side they had no BO.

In a short time we were about to land in the city of joy — Calcutta. Immigration was reasonably fast but the getting your bag off the carousel in Calcutta is yet another feat of patience… it took a very long time… and there were BO’s of every shade and colour… and someone had the pleasure of berping right in my face…charming that was. Soon I was rolling off to see mum and dad waiting in the distance.. and childhood friend Koyali who I hadn’t seen in ages!!!

Incredible India here I am!