Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Amsterdam to Delhi - India trip 2017

At Amsterdam Airport I met a couple of Odia couples who were returning from an Italian sojourn. Not a bad time to visit the salubrious  Europe as a getaway from the stifling heat and humidity of the Indian Summer. I was doin' the exactly opposite, yet excited to core.

I was rudely woken from my slumber when the pilot announced "Welcome to Delhi IGI Airport. It's 02.00AM in morning. Hazy, 34 degree Centigrade (95 Fahrenheit) outside." 95 degree at 2 O'Clock in the morning, imagine about the day time. 

No sooner the pilot announced for passenfee5 to remain seated and fasten seatbelts, than our Desi BHAI and BEHENs started getting up, rushing to the toilet. They also did the same on couple of occasions during turbulence. Not sure if they love to rock while relieving themselves. The fact that two airhostesses were shaking their heads, smiling at each other at this sight, didn't go unnoticed to me.

During one of previous trips, just before landing in Delhi came abruptly the voice of an exalted teen sitting close to me exclaimed to his buddy, "OI UTTH, BAI**OD DILLI A GAYEE  "(Get up, the Sister Slammer Delhi has arrived). More than the pilot, I found the teen's welcome far enthusiast and more apt way of welcoming to Delhi.

It was a grand Welcome to Delhi, Punjabi style, where a sentence can start with Bai**od, interspersed with a few liberal dosages of Bai**od and ends with Bai**od. It's how the Dillwalle (Heartful) Dilliwalle (Delhites) often greet each other.

Bai**od" is not such a bad word in Delhi and Punjab  (in the Pakistani part of Punjab too). Apart from the usual meaning, it can stands for multiple euphemism, to describe a scene or situation. Bai**od KYA THAND HAI YAAR (my friend, it's so cold), Bai**od MEIN GIR JAUNGA Bai**od (I will fall down, spoken after sighting a pretty girl), Bai**od KYA MATCH THA (what a match it was). Friends hug each other, A GALE LAG JA OI Bai**od (get a hug, my friend). Same way "O' Calcutta" symbolizes Kolkata, "Jai Jagannath" denotes Odisha  "Oi Bai**od" defines Delhi.

The Terminal 3 at Delhi Airport is quite impressive. Immigration and Customs were shoo in. Restrooms (toilets) maintained nice and clean. No strong smell of ubiquitous phenol. 

Once no sooner I came out of IGI Airport in middle of night night than was treated like a hapless hare amid hounds baying for my blood by haranguing touts. I was forced to do an about turn and beat a hasty retreat, only to come out at break of the dawn to be ragged again. Things are a whole lot better now, no more such situations these days. 

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