After travelling international for 20 hours, collecting heavy baggages, clearing customs, walking all the way to recheck multiple baggages we all were dog tired. Unfortunately for us the Vistara flight to Bhubaneswar was boarding at gate no 55 which is located at a good walking distance at the fag end of the Domestic terminal 3. It was a long walk after our security check. Fortunately we encountered an Electric cart driver who drove us for at least a distance of 1km (more than half a mile) till the gate. While chatting next to him I found him to be a decent and polite person.
The 7 O'Clock morning Vistara flight to Bhubaneswar was jam packed to the brink. There seems to a great connection between two Capital cities, both city of Dalaals (broker). I booked in Premium economy class as it didn't cost me a whole lot of extra money for allowing some extra leg space and extra luggage. In spite of the Air hostesses reminding the passengers inside the airplane multiple times to wear masks properly, dilettantes galored who took pleasure in disobeying the instructions.
Years ago while I was flying alone to Bhubaneswar on a similar flight, a guy next to me was conspicuously reading The Economics Times. I asked him why he is travelling to Bhubaneswar. He said he is on a short trip to Odisha where he envisions future lies in Organic farming as a potential money spinner.
During the course of our conversation the amateur farmer in me asked him certain aspects of farming, which I expected this gentleman with an interest in agriculture to be aware of, if not familiar. Apparently he turned out to be a novice, sounding more of an investor on a hunt for big bucks and ready for the kill, not to nurture the nature - sounded more like a soldier who had never set foot on the battle field, a city boy who had never grown a plant by himself. Our conversation turned out to big a damp squib.
Another time in the flight a man sitting next to me was a garrulous guy full of hot air. He boasted how he carries all his company's responsibility on his shoulders, how indispensable he was and visited all the 75 states of India on various company trips (never knew there were 75 states in India, even if you include all Union territories).
While munching food from the tray, I looked outside the window. The roaring big bird was flying bit low compared to the long distance international flights. It whizzed past low lying clouds, enabling me to take a peek outside to get a Bird's eye view. The plane was flying high over snow white fleece of cloud looking like a vast cotton plantation or a large flock of sheeps. Huge mushroom clouds looked like the snow capped castles of some distant planet in the Guardian of the Galaxy.
As the plane lowered itself preparing to land, the rivulets meandering through the gray undulating land down below formed a spectacular sight basking in the golden rays under a bright morning sun. The green, undulating waves of Eastern Ghat mountains was taking shower of the morning sunlight. River Mahanadi looked like a huge Anaconda taking a sunbath on golden sand. Closer to Bhubaneswar Airport the river Daya appeared like a gargantuan brown horseshoe covered in muddy water.
Every other year I fly over Bhubaneswar, sadly I see more concrete and asphalt, less green foliage as an once asthetic city known for its salubrious weather slowly turns into an urban jungle. Peeked below to take a view of the city I grew up with has outgrown itself. I left Bhubaneswar for good for quarter of a century ago, but the city has never left me. Way too many skyrisers seen from the top have gone over the top. They are becoming a growing environmental concern - going to bite this city big time sooner or later. Just before landing I could see a big orchard of dwarf coconut trees as the airplane zoomed past barely couple of hundred feet above it. Not sure who owns them.
How contrasting is the worm's eye view of the sky from the ground to the bird's eye view from the top. It made me understand the meaning of the phrase "Down To Earth". When it seems you are on top of the world, in minutes you are back on the ground. So are the vagaries of life. How much and how high you fly you have to come down - in no time you must descent from 41,000 feet to ground zero. Airplane teaches us a lesson on the actuality of life.
I was reminded of this incident when the flight landed at Bhubaneswar close to lunch time, I heard a guy from the front row shouting to his wife to keep the mutton (goat meat) curry ready for his lunch. I quizzed him "Sir, you must be hungry". (Addressing an unknown as Sir or Madam in India on first meeting usually impresses, even flatters the person). He responded "Yes, I am. I had been with Gujjus (Gujuratis) in Bombay on a business trip till Sunday. So no luck with meat in my meal. Followed Monday and Tuesday vegetarian day for many Oriyas. Today I desperately want to break free with a typical Odia home cooked mutton curry". The hungry me rolled tongue over my lips as I swallowed a few sips of saliva while he finished talking.
I was welcomed by a hot and muggy Bhubaneswar weather me as I stepped out of the Airport. Suddenly I felt like taking a sauna. It was a cool 87 degrees (30°C) with 90% humidity, with heat index close to 100. The heat is okay, but the high humidity was energy sapping. On my way home I savored the sights of the millieu where vehicles yonked their way through in a zigzag maze. After arriving in front of our house as I stepped out of my vehicle I could feel beads of sweat swelling on my chin and forehead. A sudden burst of breeze felt rejuvenating, vindicating the age old law of Physics "Evaporation causes cooling".
As I stepped out of the vehicle in from of our house, a burst of breeze from South-West made the strangs of hanging green mangoes swung like pendulum. A Koel sitting on the mango tree was cooing, echoing the sweetest sound of the nature from the shadows of the summer heat. A little birdie, smaller in size than Koel on the branch was on a Twitting spree which would have given Donald Trump run for money - "Tweetwoo... tweetwoo...tweetwoo..", without bothering about the 40 character limit. Couple of mongrels seeing new kids in the block gaped at us for a while before melting away chasing each other's tail. It is always a pleasure homecoming to home back home. More later...
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