Quite an Experience

It was the last week of September 2008 and twilight had just set in. The ensuing darkness engulfed the hillock that houses the imposing Shri Damodar Devasthan temple. It added to the serenity of the holy place. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Shri Damodar Devasthan temple Zambaulim in Goa is about 20 km from Margao. After visiting the shrine, I approached the local bus stop to board a bus for Margao. While waiting for the bus, the owner of a close by tea kiosk informed that the last bus for Margao had already left and advised to get lift from the devotees returning after having darshan. Being Monday, a large number of devotees had flocked the temple.

As a Tata Sumo approached, I signalled it for a lift. The vehicle slowed down a bit and as I was about to approach it, to my great dismay, it accelerated again. But finally it stopped a few yards away. I dashed towards it. The door opened and a gentleman in his forties asked about my destination. They offered me a seat in the middle row after I informed about the destination. I thanked them and a lull ensued. There were six people in the vehicle, including myself. I could see some unease at the faces of my co-passengers. I turned my attention towards the undulating landscape visible in the vehicle’s head lights. Coconut fronds and branches of cashew trees swayed tenderly in the gentle breeze amidst lush green foliage.

The gentleman sitting on my right broke the lull by asking my name. The milieu relaxed after I uttered my name. The subsequent discussion revealed that they mistook me for a Muslim due to my beard and hesitated in offering lift as newspapers were rife with the news that Goa is next on terror map after the recent bomb blasts in Delhi. They discussed with me about the spurt in the terrorist activities in the country and expressed concern about the growth in crime rate in Goa. The gentleman at driving seat interrupted the flow of our discussion by announcing the approach of my destination. While leaving, all of them wished me well for my stay at Goa.

This incident reminded me of my journey from Delhi to Guwahati via Kolkota in 2006. Coincidently the time was again last week of September. Most part of the journey from Delhi was comfortable but as we were about 15-20 minutes away from Kolkota, the flight turned to be a turbulent one due to bad weather. The last phase of monsoon was making its presence felt. Therefore, safe landing at Kolkota airport provided a sense of relief. But there was more turbulence in store.

The flight crew instructed Guwahati bound passengers to remain seated. The passengers destined for Kolkota got off and a new set of people boarded the plane. The to and fro rush of passengers abated after some time and everyone looked for the take-off. But even after scheduled departure time ticked past, there was no indication of take-off nor the crew made any announcement about the delay. The passengers became a little restive. Enquiries revealed that a Guwahati-bound bearded passenger wearing a scalp cap, mostly used by Muslims, was missing and the search was on for him. The crew members made frenetic efforts to locate the passenger but all in vain.

Ultimately, the airline decided to move without the missing passenger but a co-passenger, who introduced himself as a security consultant, protested and considered it a security breach. And he had a point. After this a security team appeared on the scene and made a through search of the baggage in the plane. The team did not find anything incriminating but this didn’t satisfy the security consultant and another security drill ensued. During the entire process the passengers were confused, anxious and apprehensive. Flight was already more than two hours late by this time. I was also getting restive as the fate of my yearning for an aerial view of the Brahmaputra and its valley appeared doomed since dusk had already started trickling in.

At last, the pilot announced that after the intensive search there was no reason for apprehension and airline had taken all the measures required to deal with the situation. Even then, if any passenger is not satisfied, he is free to leave the plane. A hush along with questioning looks followed. The security consultant, who had registered the protest, broke the silence by getting off the seat and disembarked. The crew members waited for others to follow suit. But no one else got up and finally the journey commenced after tension and suspense- packed hours.

By the time we were over Guwahati, it was plum dark and only twinkling of lights could be observed. I missed the aerial view of the Brahmaputra and its beautiful valley but was fortunate enough to witness the great display of human conduct of the co-passengers’ who rose above religious bias at Kolkota airport.