Memoirs of ILP @ Trivandrum : Landing at Trivandrum

There is one peculiar thing about flight journeys for people with middle class ethos like me, that is when we are about to travel by flight..we are all excited & charged up & the moment we step into it we are bored like hell.The reason being the beautiful landscape speeding by, all the camaraderie, friendly aunties & uncles, chatpati chole, key ring vendors and lot more such elements which make our journeys in bus & trains worthwhile are all missing in a flight journey. Flight journeys have a lot of sophistication in them i feel, they require you to sit quietly or whisper slowly, smile gently at your copassenger, read a good english novel, ask the air hostess whether mousse or salad with mexican dressing is available or not and in rare occassions looking outside the window to see the huge white clouds floating sthealthily.

This Flight to Trivandrum was a bit different. It was like time travel travel for me. Sitting in the middle seat, I began contemplating. I wonder how people fall into depression & even commit suicides just out of loneliness coz one can never feel lonely when there is so much self talk to be done.My mind travelled back to childhood,my grandparents,my parents.I remembered their eyes tearful yet hopeful that I would do well in my new phase of life.My friends were moving about the plane sometimes, there were 10 of us.

Our flight had to be changed at Hyderabad & the Hyderabad airport took my breath away. After security checkin we landed up at the airport lounge which had all those awesome international brand shops which lesser mortals like me were blandly unaware of. There were mochi shoes, swarvorski crystals, handicrafts and a score of food outlets. Seeing the price there, 10 of us ordered 5 hyderabadi biriyanis :P sharing & caring ! We also promised to come back once we became rich & famous :P

We also caught a glimpse of Ajay Devgan.He was walking so casually that I & my friend swati took a minute to comprehend if it was actually him. By the time we realised & ran to meet him, he had already gone for boarding.

So finally we were on our way to Trivandrum. It was a tender evening with the crimson hued sky.Then all of a sudden somebody exclaimed "Oh what a sight! " We all looked through the window to see the beautiful Kerala coast with golden sands, blue green sea & coconut trees dancing as if they were welcoming us to their land. Some sights take one's breath away and this was one such sight. The passengers were all taking photos & there was an air of happiness.So this is it! Finally we are in Kerala :)

Our flight landed and we moved to the baggage collection conveyor belt.Trivandrum airport is very small, its like a cinema hall or something. Over excited i caught hold of a blue suitcase in the conveyor and put it on my trolley.My friends were taking time to come & i was getting restless."Please hurry up! We need to get to the guest house as soon as possible" I was blurting.

There is a moment of intution that each one of us goes through.I looked at the suitcase again..my moment had arrived. It was not my suitcase.

That moment i felt dizzy..about to vomit..my suitcase!Where is it?? Why was I in such a hurry?? My mom had warned me of this..It had everything I needed... even money.Some how i gathered courage & looked around.

There was a single blue suitcase moving on the conveyor.There was a very worried uncle gaping towards the conveyor. God had saved me from my apocalypse. I went to him and apologised for exchanging our luggage. He smiled and said "Its fine amma! Just be careful in future ".

Taking my suitcase I moved towards the airport exit.The warm sultry sea winds welcomed me. So I am in kerala for my Initial Learning Programme :) And my learning has already begun from the airport I pondered.