Disclaimer: I'd like to mention to all the readers of this post that I am a very secular person who believes in and respects people of all faiths and religions and honestly consider myself one of the least racist, communist Indians (I emphasize on 'Indians', because I believe that Indians are one of the most racist people on the face of this planet - but we'll leave that for another day). I also do not intend to create or hint towards any stereotypes and am just laying out a series of happenings on a factual basis.
This goes back to last summer - July 2010. My wife and I are traveling in Europe and towards the end of our vacation, land in Rome. I have no words to define the beauty and magnificence of that city - its beyond the power of my illustration. Anyway, we are supposed to fly out from Rome to Frankfurt and be there for a day before we head back to Amreeka. We take the shuttle from the downtown Rome on a Saturday morning morning to depart from the Ciampino airport (CIA) to arrive in Frankfurt Hahn (HHN) on a Ryanair flight. I have already made our bookings month in advance and have checked in to reserve seats - as my ticket said in bold 'DON'T FORGET TO CHECK-IN ONLINE FROM 15 DAYS UP TO 4 HOURS PRIOR TO YOUR SCHEDULED FLIGHT DEPARTURE.'. I paid an additional 10 Euros to avail the WEB check in facility in order to secure a decent pair of seats.
We board the bus and the first thing my wife notices is how smartly dressed the driver was. Coming from India, where the bus drivers are 'generally' shabby, we see this guy who is suited in a crisp linen suit, shaved with a Mach-5 (if their exists one) and has gelled his hair at 6:00 AM in the morning. He looks like one of those Emporio Armani dudes who walk the ramps on FTV - we saw a bunch of them across Europe but I guess Italians are very fashion conscious breed of people - even the cops have rolled up their sleeves as they drive around in their Alfa Romeos (YES!!! not a Gypsy or Qualis). So he takes us to the airport and drops us well ahead of time. We enter a rather rickety airport which can't be compared by any means to the ultra sophisticated breed of airports that are now popping up in India, Insire, there is utter chaos and loooooong lines in front of the Ryan Air counters. Aparently, there are two lights and as is evident, Ryanair can't handle the crowd - they remind me of my recent Air India experience (but that too is going to be a different story). We check the bags - an additional 40 Euros per bag and are given our boarding cards. Since, there is a good 1 hour to our flight, we decide to grab some breakfast.
About 20 mins prior to take-off, we get in line and board our flight, under the impression that we have already booked our seats and just need to board and fly...not aware that its all a scam. As soon as I step in the flight, the hostess sees my boarding pass and tells me to find seats. I asked her where 81-82 are and she says 'Free Seating Sir - First Come First Grab'. Surprised and tired to argue, I start looking for seats and then fortunately find two seats divided by an isle and just grab them. This is where the twist begins...
I casually sit and tighten my seat belts and check on my wife who does the same. Then, she sees the two Muslim clerics, close to 30 years of age, dressed in white robes sitting next to me. One of them is talking on his mobile and the other is praying with closed eyes. I stay quiet so as not to disturb him and just look forward to our landing in Frankfurt. The flight starts its taxi and even after repeated announcements, the guy on the phone doesn't stop talking. Not quite done - I think. Not many moments have passed and I realize that he has started crying. Not just crying but bursting into tears and almost shaking with his hands covering his face but I can see him. The guy between him and me starts doing the same. I am FROZEN. The few things that cross my mind are:
1. Why is he still talking on the phone when the plane is in Taxi??? Isn't it illegal and unsafe as it could hamper the communication signals for the pilots?
2. Why are they both crying so frantically now???? I realize I am in a flight that's about to take off and the horrific memories of the 9/11 episode cross my mind. I don't know whether this was stupid, irrational, or whatever - but my mind is taken hostage by this series of incidents.
I look around and realize that in this ultra cheap aircraft, which is literally shaking as we move along the runway of this rickety airport, the noise of the aircraft suppresses the noise of him on the phone or these two crying out loud. I look around to find two more clerics, in the 50-60 age bracket, sitting right behind Saumya (yes - thats's my wife's name - I realized that I haven't introduced her in this blog yet - Sorry wifey). These two guys are quiet, still and have their eyes closed and it seems, are praying too. The plot that unfolds in my mind is that the guy on the phone is talking to his terrorist supremo, who is promising him martyrdom, but they both are crying because they realize that to be martyrs - death is a prerequisite. Anyway, death is the last thing I am wishing for, 10 days after getting married to the love of my life and on my way back from my dreamy European honeymoon. As may be apparent by now, I am almost shi*^ing in my pants and am thinking can I overpower these two? YES - is what my mind says but who knows what my powers are in front of an already conceptualized knife, gun or a grenade. I look into my wife's eyes and she is almost in tears as she is the only one who is seeing all this besides me. This entire thing happened in about 30 - 45 seconds after the taxi started and we were at loss of our words or actions but were just reacting to what was happening and praying that we live to see another day. Now STOP for a moment! Think what could have happened next. Obviously, the fact that I am writing this blog means that we didn't die. But what do you think happened next?
The guy on the phone hangs up, they both cry for another 20 seconds and then stop. STOP!!! Nothing else. I look behind Saumya to see the other two are now chatting and look in the front, if someone else saw/heard anything - nope, no one. The flight takes off and we are in air. I am still crippled by the fear of what's happening next as I think that these guys have now overcome the fear and would just rise any moment to unleash terror. My mind keeps thinking all sorts of things that I could do to suppress their actions, save the lives of the 120 odd people on this flight and mark my name in history OR go down in history as one of the passengers who lost their lives in a 'soon to be forgotten' terrorist attack. I start murmuring to Saumya and she prompts the need for us to do something. As I keep thinking what to do, in the next minute or two, I see the air hostess pushing the food and beverage cart towards us from the front. As she approaches us, I realize that the guy next to me is reaching for his pocket and I think THIS IS IT! As the hostess stepped next to me, he asked her for four bars of Mars. This made me happy and sad. The first thought now was hey - he is my buddy, a fellow chocolate lover. Maybe the talking on the phone was just an emergency and the crying was just a religious practice or they are scared to fly. The second thought is - maybe this is their last wish. Can you imagine??? I am still perplexed - I have two conflicting reactions to each of their actions. He keeps two for him and his buddy and pass on the other 2 to the ones sitting behind Saumya. They smile and as it appears, say 'Thanks' in their language.
I am waiting for the next piece of action and have made up my mind that I will not go down without a fight. After all, I am a 180lbs ghee-bred well-built (yeah, I was at that time) guy who can take on two fat guysof his age - at least I think so. We keep flying and amidst the series of screwed up events and resulting thoughts in my mind, little do I realize that we are almost there. Yes, we are about to land in 10 minutes, as is mentioned by the Pilot on the PSA. I think this is their last chance - to do something... crazy me, now waiting to see what's this all about - come on, do something, They disappoint me :(
Nothing happens, we land, we get up and we get out of the flight. I see them stepping off and peacefully proceeding to the luggage belt. I try to justify my thoughts by saying to myself that I was rational. To support myself, I talk to my wife, who has experienced this horrific journey with me, and she being as rational that I can ever imagine anyone to be, agrees with me. So, I believe, what the heck - I am not nuts. We pick our bags, get out of the airport, laugh it off and get on the way to our hotel in Frankfurt. PERIOD! Today, I look back, remember and laugh it off even now but BELIEVE IN ME. That was one flight that I wish I had not taken in my life. PEACE!
This goes back to last summer - July 2010. My wife and I are traveling in Europe and towards the end of our vacation, land in Rome. I have no words to define the beauty and magnificence of that city - its beyond the power of my illustration. Anyway, we are supposed to fly out from Rome to Frankfurt and be there for a day before we head back to Amreeka. We take the shuttle from the downtown Rome on a Saturday morning morning to depart from the Ciampino airport (CIA) to arrive in Frankfurt Hahn (HHN) on a Ryanair flight. I have already made our bookings month in advance and have checked in to reserve seats - as my ticket said in bold 'DON'T FORGET TO CHECK-IN ONLINE FROM 15 DAYS UP TO 4 HOURS PRIOR TO YOUR SCHEDULED FLIGHT DEPARTURE.'. I paid an additional 10 Euros to avail the WEB check in facility in order to secure a decent pair of seats.
We board the bus and the first thing my wife notices is how smartly dressed the driver was. Coming from India, where the bus drivers are 'generally' shabby, we see this guy who is suited in a crisp linen suit, shaved with a Mach-5 (if their exists one) and has gelled his hair at 6:00 AM in the morning. He looks like one of those Emporio Armani dudes who walk the ramps on FTV - we saw a bunch of them across Europe but I guess Italians are very fashion conscious breed of people - even the cops have rolled up their sleeves as they drive around in their Alfa Romeos (YES!!! not a Gypsy or Qualis). So he takes us to the airport and drops us well ahead of time. We enter a rather rickety airport which can't be compared by any means to the ultra sophisticated breed of airports that are now popping up in India, Insire, there is utter chaos and loooooong lines in front of the Ryan Air counters. Aparently, there are two lights and as is evident, Ryanair can't handle the crowd - they remind me of my recent Air India experience (but that too is going to be a different story). We check the bags - an additional 40 Euros per bag and are given our boarding cards. Since, there is a good 1 hour to our flight, we decide to grab some breakfast.
About 20 mins prior to take-off, we get in line and board our flight, under the impression that we have already booked our seats and just need to board and fly...not aware that its all a scam. As soon as I step in the flight, the hostess sees my boarding pass and tells me to find seats. I asked her where 81-82 are and she says 'Free Seating Sir - First Come First Grab'. Surprised and tired to argue, I start looking for seats and then fortunately find two seats divided by an isle and just grab them. This is where the twist begins...
I casually sit and tighten my seat belts and check on my wife who does the same. Then, she sees the two Muslim clerics, close to 30 years of age, dressed in white robes sitting next to me. One of them is talking on his mobile and the other is praying with closed eyes. I stay quiet so as not to disturb him and just look forward to our landing in Frankfurt. The flight starts its taxi and even after repeated announcements, the guy on the phone doesn't stop talking. Not quite done - I think. Not many moments have passed and I realize that he has started crying. Not just crying but bursting into tears and almost shaking with his hands covering his face but I can see him. The guy between him and me starts doing the same. I am FROZEN. The few things that cross my mind are:
1. Why is he still talking on the phone when the plane is in Taxi??? Isn't it illegal and unsafe as it could hamper the communication signals for the pilots?
2. Why are they both crying so frantically now???? I realize I am in a flight that's about to take off and the horrific memories of the 9/11 episode cross my mind. I don't know whether this was stupid, irrational, or whatever - but my mind is taken hostage by this series of incidents.
I look around and realize that in this ultra cheap aircraft, which is literally shaking as we move along the runway of this rickety airport, the noise of the aircraft suppresses the noise of him on the phone or these two crying out loud. I look around to find two more clerics, in the 50-60 age bracket, sitting right behind Saumya (yes - thats's my wife's name - I realized that I haven't introduced her in this blog yet - Sorry wifey). These two guys are quiet, still and have their eyes closed and it seems, are praying too. The plot that unfolds in my mind is that the guy on the phone is talking to his terrorist supremo, who is promising him martyrdom, but they both are crying because they realize that to be martyrs - death is a prerequisite. Anyway, death is the last thing I am wishing for, 10 days after getting married to the love of my life and on my way back from my dreamy European honeymoon. As may be apparent by now, I am almost shi*^ing in my pants and am thinking can I overpower these two? YES - is what my mind says but who knows what my powers are in front of an already conceptualized knife, gun or a grenade. I look into my wife's eyes and she is almost in tears as she is the only one who is seeing all this besides me. This entire thing happened in about 30 - 45 seconds after the taxi started and we were at loss of our words or actions but were just reacting to what was happening and praying that we live to see another day. Now STOP for a moment! Think what could have happened next. Obviously, the fact that I am writing this blog means that we didn't die. But what do you think happened next?
The guy on the phone hangs up, they both cry for another 20 seconds and then stop. STOP!!! Nothing else. I look behind Saumya to see the other two are now chatting and look in the front, if someone else saw/heard anything - nope, no one. The flight takes off and we are in air. I am still crippled by the fear of what's happening next as I think that these guys have now overcome the fear and would just rise any moment to unleash terror. My mind keeps thinking all sorts of things that I could do to suppress their actions, save the lives of the 120 odd people on this flight and mark my name in history OR go down in history as one of the passengers who lost their lives in a 'soon to be forgotten' terrorist attack. I start murmuring to Saumya and she prompts the need for us to do something. As I keep thinking what to do, in the next minute or two, I see the air hostess pushing the food and beverage cart towards us from the front. As she approaches us, I realize that the guy next to me is reaching for his pocket and I think THIS IS IT! As the hostess stepped next to me, he asked her for four bars of Mars. This made me happy and sad. The first thought now was hey - he is my buddy, a fellow chocolate lover. Maybe the talking on the phone was just an emergency and the crying was just a religious practice or they are scared to fly. The second thought is - maybe this is their last wish. Can you imagine??? I am still perplexed - I have two conflicting reactions to each of their actions. He keeps two for him and his buddy and pass on the other 2 to the ones sitting behind Saumya. They smile and as it appears, say 'Thanks' in their language.
I am waiting for the next piece of action and have made up my mind that I will not go down without a fight. After all, I am a 180lbs ghee-bred well-built (yeah, I was at that time) guy who can take on two fat guysof his age - at least I think so. We keep flying and amidst the series of screwed up events and resulting thoughts in my mind, little do I realize that we are almost there. Yes, we are about to land in 10 minutes, as is mentioned by the Pilot on the PSA. I think this is their last chance - to do something... crazy me, now waiting to see what's this all about - come on, do something, They disappoint me :(
Nothing happens, we land, we get up and we get out of the flight. I see them stepping off and peacefully proceeding to the luggage belt. I try to justify my thoughts by saying to myself that I was rational. To support myself, I talk to my wife, who has experienced this horrific journey with me, and she being as rational that I can ever imagine anyone to be, agrees with me. So, I believe, what the heck - I am not nuts. We pick our bags, get out of the airport, laugh it off and get on the way to our hotel in Frankfurt. PERIOD! Today, I look back, remember and laugh it off even now but BELIEVE IN ME. That was one flight that I wish I had not taken in my life. PEACE!
