THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE.

We landed in Chennai on schedule and after checking in our onward luggage to Hyderabad proceeded to the Domestic Terminal. For a regional hub Chennai leaves much to be desired. I was told it had been a lot worse till the recent renovations had been done. But to me it didn’t seem to have been through any renovations and looked a mess. But my buddy assured me that this was not the case as he had travelled through here before, during and after the renovations. Apparently at one time the drive way to the Airport was alongside the walkway from the International to Domestic Terminals.

Anyway we got some magazines from one of the book shops and proceeded to the departure lounge for our almost eight hour wait for the connection to Hyderabad. It was unusually cold for this part of the world. Colombo had experienced the coldest weather in sixty one years because of the impact, experts had said, of Global Warming. We had with us warm clothes so it was comfortable. The time passed slowly and at last we heard the boarding call.

We boarded a bus to get the aircraft and I was a bit surprised. This was almost a two hour flight and I thought the renovations would have meant we walked to the aircraft from the lounge. Was I in for a shock! We were being flown in a two engine turbo prop that looked so short and small and did I have the he bee jeebees! For moment I was at loss for words. This was a come down with a nasty bang. The only analogy I could think of was a limo to a bullock cart!

You boarded the aircraft from the back and it was on a flight of five odd steps hanging on what looked like twine with a even thinner version as your handrail. I clutched at this and with some trepidation managed to board the plane. We were right in the front and there was another shocker. We were in two seats that were flush with the separating panel of the cockpit from the cabin and We had two passengers facing us and I swear if I had stretched my legs it would have landed in between the lady in front of me! Not something you would want to do in India. This was a small aircraft. The only time I had been in something smaller was way back in 1978 when due to bad weather and a strike by the El Air Crew there was only one flight out of Tel Aviv and I could have sworn that the plane’s wings were flapping to keep the aircraft in the sky! I wondered if I was in for a similar experience.

Taking off was even more unusual. The flight attendant pulled her seat from a slot before the door to the cockpit. It looked like one of those folding ironing boards you find in today’s space saving apartments. When she did her demonstrations I had to strain my neck backwards to get a glance at her! I was pushed forward on takeoff by a good eight inches off the backrest of the seat. But at the end of it all the flight was uneventful and smooth and we were on time. It was cold as hell and we quickly rushed through the airport to a Taxi and made are way to the Brides Residence.

Hyderabad was fun and I really enjoyed myself. I was seeing so many people I hadn’t met in a while and felt so much at home. It was an experience that I will never forget. The City is cosmopolitan and apparently has a large population of Sri Lankan Students who do inter marry with the locals and settle down quite well in this part of India.

We went for a walk one day into the town close by to where we were staying and the sidewalks were a death trap at least at that time. There was a lot of cable laying going on and I stubbed my toe many a time on those walks. A relation of my Buddy’s, he is tall bumped into a sign that clearly stated mind your head because he was looking down to avoid the pot holes in the sidewalk!

One stretch of the side walk had a long wall which had a sprayed message as to not pass urine There! The stretch that had this caution was clean, but further on there was no warning and it stank! I used to buy cigarettes from a shop that had a board stating it was the CICAGO CIGARATE & PAN SHOP.

The wedding was great and I learned of some enchanting customs when the Master of Ceremonies introduced and got all the guests to do some very interesting dances. Leaving early morning I noticed how in the night the streets had been swept clean and the City looked spick and span to greet the new day. The drive to the Airport was fast and the road leading to it was so well laid out. I was told by my friend that the Rajiv Gandhi Airport is reputed to be the best in India. I do not know how this compares with Delhi’s new terminal One but I was impressed.

Back in Sri Lanka on our way back home I saw something that really made this trip so eventful. On the back of a covered pickup truck was a three piece Papra band as they are known. They were an integral part of my childhood at carnivals at our neighborhood school fares. As for the jinx and the curse that has been in my life??? I think it is gone and I was looking forward to 2011!

THE DAY DAWNS.

Was I excited; I couldn’t sleep much and was full of anticipation to embark on what was going to be a new adventure for me. At last I was off to India. I had checked on-line and found out that the Aircraft was an Airbus. I had been on them before. I remembered when Indian Airlines introduced them on the Colombo Bombay sector and I was taking a flight to Colombo when somebody mentioned I was taking an Airbus, wondering what kind of a bus had wings and could fly ?

As usual we left home late and made it to the Airport an hour before departure, passengers are supposed to be at the Airport three hours before, but that was nothing new to me. When I was a frequent traveller and my late first wife worked for an Airline I used to be at the Airport just in time to be bundled into the plane. That was another time of my life.

My Buddy is a well-known actor and a frequent flyer. One of the counter girls recognized him and we got a business class upgrade, and that was a cool way to leave Colombo. The Airport had been renovated and looked really good. The traces of the old Airport were there but there were a few additions and it was plush. We went up to the duty free grabbed what we needed and had some lunch at the Business Class Lounge. I walked around and surprisingly was quite relaxed and all those fears and apprehensions I had about flying seemed to have vanished. I got my buddy to take a photograph of me and sat down to mail it to my Mom when I heard the boarding call.

We made our way to the security check point and this was the first time I experienced post 9/11 security. I was standing behind my friend when a rather young pretty looking security officer requested me to remove my belt and shoes before passing through the metal detector. I couldn’t help it! I removed my belt and proceeded to unzip my jeans as if though I was going to strip! The look on the Woman’s face and the frantic gestures she made at me to stop was a sight I wish I could have captured for posterity. The Officer in Charge looked on highly amused while I feigned ignorance and sheepishly told the Woman “Aiyo Mang Dane Naha! Mang hithuwe okkamma galawanda ona kiyala. Kalekata passé mang plane ekka yanne!” “Oh my god I didn’t know I thought I had to remove everything! I am taking a plane after a long time!” I don’t think the Woman quite realized that I was pulling her leg! My buddy in the meanwhile had missed all this and was frantically looking for me further down the walkway.

The inside of the Cabin was a sight for sore eyes. I breathed deeply absorbing the fragrance of the interior and felt at ease as I walked to my seat. I had picked a window seat as I always did on top of the wing. I looked out at the tarmac and the memories of the numerous occasions I had done the same thing flooded my mind. I thought to myself so this is what I missed out on all these years!

We were ready for takeoff and as I strapped myself in as the aircraft started the slow ride to the runway. I enjoyed every shudder and vibration that the engine made. I was on a high. The stewardess came with my drink and while sipping my smoothie and gazed out looking at the vast ground surrounding the taxiway when the Aircraft reached the take off position. The familiar sound of the engine revving up was so comforting as the Aircraft moved slowly at first and as it gained speed I watched the runway blurring as we approached takeoff speed. I waited for that moment when the Aircraft leaves the ground and suddenly you know you’re airborne and you hear the noise of the hydraulics in action. It was wonderful to be flying again!

AFTER EIGHT YEARS A TRIP ABROAD

I last made an overseas visit in 2002 to India, and from that time onwards even though I did get a new passport in 2007 I never saw the inside of an airport all these years. Considering that I was such a frequent traveller from the age of 2 when my Mother took me on my first trip to India and my globetrotting as a Sailor and subsequently as a business traveller, in retrospect I am surprised that I was able to stay so long in Sri Lanka without feeling the urge to travel somewhere. I don’t what stopped me but my life had gone so wrong that I didn’t even feel the need or desire to even get out of Colombo. I guess alcohol was the only thing that mattered to me.

When I first came to the half way home in July 2008 I was too weak and drugged to take even a five minute walk in the compound. Things started improving after my third month and I did regain my strength and started my outdoor activities and by December 2008 I was very fit compared to what I was when I first came here. But though I did start wanting to travel abroad again I was afraid that I might not be able to stand the strain of travelling and at one time I had resigned myself to the fate that I am going to be stuck in Sri Lanka for the rest of my life!

But after I came back to the half way home last May one of the things I had decided was that I was going to make an overseas trip before the end of the year. This was one of the resolutions amongst others I had made when I was reflecting on a course of action while in hospital. The reason for this sudden obsession to travel was instigated by a story my late Sister had conveyed a long time before she died and during the period I was in an out of rehab and things were generally fucked up. Apparently she had been told by an Astrologer that I need to cross international waters if this bad period in my life was to come to an end!! I don’t particularly consider myself a very superstitious person and after my Sisters death my family generally abhors any thinking in that direction. But I was obsessed with this one statement she had made. I mean considering all the sound advice I had got on matters I should have listened to and didn’t should explain the logic of my convoluted thinking that I use when it suites me.

By July I was reorienting myself and staying with my best buddy during the week and coming to the half way home only on weekends. In spite of all the other hassles I was going through during this time the trip abroad was always in my mind. Problem was my Family were very reluctant to send me off anywhere on my own at that time and I couldn’t find anybody whom I could tag along with as well even for a short period of time. But then lady luck smiled at me. My best Buddy’s Sisters Daughter was getting married and the wedding was to be held in Hyderabad. His family knew me from child hood days and I had no problem in getting an invitation. So India it was and the tentative date of departure the 26th of December 2010, duration four days!!

This was end November and was I excited. I was going with my buddy and meeting people I had not seen since 1983. I was looking forward to it. Then came a small snag. I had lost all my previous passports and had only the current one which had no endorsements of travelling anywhere The Indian Visa Office required that I get a Police Report to that affect otherwise the chances of my getting a visa would be slim. Now I like most people in Sri Lankan hate visiting Police Stations unless it is absolutely necessary and in this case it was if I was going to break this jinx. Usually I know somebody or know of somebody who knows somebody to get things done. So I called one of the later who informed me not to be a dumb ass but just walk up to the nearest cop shop and make the complaint like anybody else without trying to draw unnecessary attention to myself as the cops would wonder why I was peddling influence for a simple matter of reporting expired passports that I had lost. Made sense so I did exactly that and walked to the nearest cop shop which was a couple of blocks away from my office and except for a slight misunderstanding with the chaps who let you through the main gate as I had inadvertently declared that I live elsewhere. They said in that case I had to make the complaint to a Police Station of that area. I resolved this with some ingenuity and made my way to the crimes desk.

A well-built Cop, quite pleasant looking and in civvies, was in charge. Ho queried as to what my problem was and once I explained what I had come for very politely requested me to wait till he finished resolving the problem at hand involving a transaction between a buyer and a seller of some textiles on a nonpayment of dues and wanted to know if I would like to take a walk and come back later. An offer which I declined saying that I will wait as this matter was a bit urgent since I had to apply for my Visa the next day. I sat and watched this interesting process of a genuine law enforcer doing a good job. I did complement the Cop when it was my turn and I noticed the wry smile of appreciation my comments evoked.

A rather pleasant looking Lady Cop sat herself next to me and proceeded to record my statement. It was going very well till I said in a mixture of Sinhala and English that I probably would have misplaced or dropped my passports taking them out of the case I carry my laptop Computer in when I travelled in the many three wheelers I take when I commute in and around the office area during the night. Now the statement is recorded in Sinhala and there was an embarrassing pause. The literal translation of laptop into Sinhala is extremely suggestive and the Lady Cop and I tried not to laugh while the Officer in charge looked nonchalantly at the Ceiling. I almost blurted out in Sinhala “Mang Oyage Odekkuwa Idegenna Mage Lapto ekka Pennendada?” “Shall I sit on your Lap and show you my Laptop?” Like I said the officer in Charge was well built! There was a pause and silence which was broken suddenly by the Lady Cop asserting loudly in Sinhala “Mama Dane ne naha me Magula mama Laptop kiyala Liyanawa!” Translation “I don’t know anything about this damn thing I am writing laptop!” I signed the statement and walked out and burst out laughing when I hit the side walk. A few passes by did give me strange looks. I did ask the guys in office if they knew what the correct term for a Laptop in Sinhala was. Everyone knew what a computer was and the only guy who checked online came up with a word that I didn’t even know existed!

I got my statement the next day and the visa three days after. I passed the Lady Cop on foot patrol prior to my departure to India, one day in the evening on my way home; she recognized me and gave me smile that will be etched in my memory for ever.

ANOTHER DREAM

I went to sleep late last night very relaxed and quite content that I had done quite a lot during the day. It had been a while since I had listen to a track from my yoga music collection, so instead of tuning in to my favorite radio station I chose a track I use for my yoga that had a mix of modern Rock and Oriental instruments, put it on repeat, set the volume to suite my comfort zone and drifted off to sleep.

I find myself on top of a rock very similar to the one that the river Ganges in India gushes out from beneath the glaciers and starts its journey to the sea. If I remember right this is supposed to be very high in the Himalayas and bloody cold. But I am wearing a T-Shirt and Jeans and standing on the rock bare feet, which is very unusual for me. There is a pathway to the bank of the River and I walk down to the river bank, it’s more a stream really, wash my face in the cold clear water and drink some as well.

Though this is supposed to be the river it is very shallow and the rocks are sparkling under the sun. I walk across to the other side where there are some strange trees. They look like Christmas trees but they are all silver like something out of a picture post card. I try touching them but I can’t feel anything. There is no vegetation other than these trees and I am very confused but not particularly bothered by this surreal environment I find myself in. I look around me but I can only see these trees all around and pathways leading from where I am and disappearing into some sort of a haze. It’s like I am at a center of half a wagon wheel with the spokes leading away from me in irregular directions. It all looks pretty organized.

I pick one in random and walk away from the River and suddenly find myself in a field with weird shaped rocks placed all over the place. They vary in size but the path I am in snakes its way through these rocks and there are various branches leading away in different directions. It’s pleasant and I hear some faint music in the background. I walk a while but the scenery seems to be the same. I decide to take one of the branches to my left and I am back on top of the rock I started!

But now my Serendipity is at the bottom of the rock standing in the river. She too is wearing a T-Shirt but her Jeans are rolled up. She looks at me and I make out a sad smile. I go down towards her and though I try to talk I can’t. She is telling me that somebody has died. I can understand everything she is saying clearly but there is no sound except for the faint music. I look around and see two men walking up the River towards us, one is smiling at me as if though he knows me but the face is unfamiliar. He has very sharp features, sporting a beard and brown in complexion. I think I know him but I can’t place his face. The other is sullen and frowning at me. His features are not prominent and his image is vague. He has long unkempt hair and he doesn’t like me!

I turn towards my Serendipity and notice that is crying softly. I try to ask her why but she doesn’t seem to hear me. She looks forlon and so sad that my heart breaks. I am unable to comfort her. The guy who was smiling at me comes near me and puts his arm around my shoulders and I gather he is reassuring me that everything will be all right.

My phone rings suddenly and I realize I have my cell phone with me! I answer it and my dead sister wants to know when I would be joining my Mother and Her for lunch at the Hotel. My Serendipity is shaking her head at me and frowning now and this time I can’t understand what she is saying except she is annoyed at the interruption. I try to explain that I have to go to the Hotel but she keeps shaking her head. My smiling friend is still reassuring me while the other guys frown has turned menacing!

I don’t how long this drama went on but I am suddenly all alone on top the rock with loud music replacing what was in the background. It is the Osibisa track I use for my 6.30 alarm!