Teaching Her During A Flight

We  meet   different kind  of people when we  travel in trains ,ferries ,busses or planes  .I always make sure to connect with them by talking .I realize that these are special relationships because they   generated because  people  are on the move,and basically accidental by nature  .And nine times out of ten  they  die once we reach our respective  destinations .We may never meet them ever again .They come into your life for  1 hour ,3 hrs ,12 hrs ,18hrs or 22 hrs !!And  then they  disappear.

 It is rare to be seated next to someone who is travelling for the first time –be it in a train ,bus, ,ferry  or a plane ( have I left out some other modes of transportation?) When I boarded my  Spicejet  Flight from Ahmedabad to Dubai yesterday ,I did the normal things .I sat down  at  my window seat and started to read the travel magazine .Then I started to surf my facebook on my blackberry .I checked to make sure that my camera and  passport is safe . (I am paranoid about it).After  a short while the crew announced that the flight was about to take off and that we should all fasten our seat belts .I had hardly noticed  that a middle aged lady had occupied the seat next to me .I fastened my seat belt , but  I saw she was struggling with hers .I smiled at her and volunteered to  fasten  it for her 

“Pehle baar ur rahi hoon(I am flying for the first time )” she said  .Before she could thank me ,I reopened  the seat belt and asked her to fasten it on her own .She was slightly slow ,but she managed it .I asked her to open the seat belt and she looked at me with amusement and confusion .

“Madam ,aap  uthrengi  bhi toh(you will get down also).Aur phir wapas bhi to Ahmedabad lautain gee.(and you will return to Ahmedabad also).Ab seekh lo, aur bhoolna nahi”.!!

The teacher in me was asserting  himself .She smiled in a childish way -and we had become friends .She was  short in height but appeared tall in commonsense  .She did not know a word of English .My purpose was to teach her and make her  aware  about the procedures of a first time traveler  .I remembered how I had made a fool of myself when I had flown for the first time and how a insensitive Englishmen had laughed derisively at me when I had wanted to go to the bathroom and could not unlock the belt .And even though the airhostesses show it by way of practical demonstration, and on some flights on a screen ,it does not help because it is just a small part of a long monologue of emergency procedures .After having flown so many times  ,I am sure I will still not be able to pull down a oxygen mask  or a life jacket  in a emergency -though I have seen it being demonstrated a million times .!!

I entered into a conversation with her .She was smart women –very sharp and very shrewd .But she was very afraid of flying .She closed her eyes and kept mumbling “ram,ram” as the aircraft  gathered speed before its take off .She kept telling me that she was getting “chakkers”(feeling dizzy).And after only about twenty minutes of flying she asked me “Kitnaa samay rahtaa hai Dubai ke liye”.!!I told her to relax and  to divert her mind , told her “See we are flying over the Rann of Kutch”   -a wide expanse of mud and water surrounded by green .She refused .She said she might vomit .I told her that a waste envelope was provided in the jacket of the seat ,so she could empty out into it .I was firm and added –“muj par mut karna” .The lady was quiet and luckily did not bring up .Later on, I  convinced her to look out through my window .We were flying over Pakistan and I could see the Indus meander through it like a snake .She was eager and said ,

“Pakistan ? We migrated from Pakistan .My grandparents were from Sindh”!.She was excited that she was was flying over Pakistan .She looked out .She was quiet .There must be many a connect through tales between her family and Pakistan .Just like it is for me .She had a sense of humour too .As luck would have it ,we  got caught in a slight turbulence over Pakistan .The plane rocked a little and dropped height .The experienced traveler knows all about it ,but for a first timer it could be frightening   .“Yeh kya hua?”,she asked looking visibly frightened  .“Kuch nahi”I said .I explained that these are routine things that happen during flights .She was quick to respond (I am translating in English)

“This Pakistan also tries to create fear among Indians .They try to unsettle us .But they are like clouds that thunder ,but don’t rain .But they sure shake you up”.I had a good laugh .I told her that air turbulence has got nothing to do with Pakistans ill intentions towards India  .I felt like telling her “Please don’t be like Arnab Goswami and see everything   Pakistani   in every misfortune that befalls our nation!!And our planes !!

I was able to convince her to see the Arabian sea and the Persian Gulf as we flew over it .She noticed a number of dots –ships –that were sailing .And then the landscape changed .I brought out my camera to take photographs of the vast expanse of sand .I told her to look at the hillocks of sand .By now ,her fear of looking down  had disappeared .She was enjoying the view of  the earth from the air .She even spotted a highway that cut across the sandy terrain –like a grey snake .And then we started to lose height .We were descending on Dubai .I told her to watch out for the thousands of the fabulous buildings that that form the skyline of  Dubai and the islands of water  around  which they have built colonies for people to stay .She said she was frightened –but I told her not to miss the experience .In between she had asked how much does  a ticket cost (return).I asked her as to how she did not know –had she not bought it ?She had informed me that a friend had sent her the ticket .She also told me that she was a JBT Teacher in a school in Manicknagar ,Ahmedabad .And that she had lost her husband about 10 years back in a road accident .I did not ask her, her name .And neither did she ask me who I was and what was I going to Dubai for .

The plane touched down .Bumpy and noisy !I told her to follow me to the immigrations and promised to help her get through it and take her to the conveyer belt (no .5).She was obedient .And she followed me .But she refused to take the escalator or the moving walkways(or a travellator as the Brits call them).She said she would get “chakkers”.I told her to keep pace with me in that case becoz ,I wanted to be the first to get the clearance at the immigrations .It can save you 20 minutes or so .!And I usually walk fast on the travellators –so if one is on a travellator and one is walking fast ,then someone simply  walking would have to run to keep pace .And she was huffing and puffing ,but managed to keep pace .

We went through the immigrations and since I had only my hand baggage I said goodbye to her after telling her from where to pick up her checked in baggage .She thanked me profusely .And we parted our ways .No cell numbers were exchanged .We did not even know what the others name was .And we may never meet each other again .But by reaching out to her ,I made sure that I would not forget her for a long time .And maybe even she may be able to remember me because I interfered so much in her travel .My attempt was to teach her .I don’t know whether she was a good student or not .But that does not mean that we stop being interested in people we may never meet again and whose names we  don’t even  know .Or whether they pass or fail .!!