Aal Iz Well
So, here we are, finally re-boarding the blogging flight which I left adrift a while ago.
When you least expect it, things happen. Karma’s a bitch. A good one in a sense. It left me with a bittersweet feeling over the happenings of the past few days. Hauled me back a little on the path of the supreme experience called Faith and Belief. No I am not out of my senses or thinking with a glass in my hand. I just felt the uncontrollable urge to share this one. I had to.
Let’s roll back a little. People who read this blog know what had ensued in my life over the past 9 odd years so I would let you off the emotionally-drained hook. I resembled a boat losing its anchor overnight drifting unattended in the sea with no direction. I had lost faith and hope and only prayed because I was scared. A god fearing person one might say. I never thought I’d get it back. But after this Thai excursion, I might say I did, I really really did.
Thailand: Prelude
I had come to India this time after merely 4 months since my last trip for the only intention of going to Thailand. But ever since I arrived, things just couldn’t work out. Someone had an exam, someone’s parents won’t let them go and some had a job they just couldn’t get a break from while some numb nuts didn’t even have a passport. After a lot of pleading to my earthly friends, I finally managed to sell the idea to 2 people. But eventually due to some really wild uncontainable circumstances, Sagar dropped out at the last minute and Me and Sanket embarked upon this journey by ourselves.
After the dropout of Sagar, we left for Mumbai late in the night and reached Mumbai at around 1 am on the 4th. The moment we landed there and the driver left us, I realised I had forgotten my photos for the Thailand Visa. I enquired a few places at the Airport and was informed that there was no photo booth in the airport or anywhere close by. We called the driver back again and went on a mad hunt to see if there was any photo studio open at that godforsaken hour. After checking with so many different people unsuccessfully I decided to take a chance and returned back to the Airport hoping to see if we could get something done at the Kolkata Airport where we had a 2 hour stop.
When we reached Kolkata, I enquired at the Kingfisher office and was bluntly told that they had no clue as to what one could do if one doesn’t have a photo for the visa and had no idea what so ever as to the whereabouts of a nearby photo studio. So we ran and grabbed a taxi driver who assured us that he would bring us back in less than 40 mins to the airport with our photos. We took the chance.
25 mins later, only 100 meters in our journey to the so called magic photo booth, stuck in the noon Kolkata traffic, I gave up. My hope diminished and I thought of going to Thailand without the prerequisites of a Visa Photo and take my chances ONCE again.
The whole journey was miserably spent wondering and calculating the damage that I would have to suffer financially and emotionally if the Thai happened to kick my ass back to India for not coming along with the right documentation. But it wasn’t all the bad after all.
In Thailand, the immigration process wasn’t all that arduous and right next to the Immigration Desk was a photo booth nicely situated with a very helpful young lady offering us better conversion rates than the Money Exchange Counter right next to her. I got my photos and the whole misery was lifted off my mind like luggage off a knackered donkey.
I wouldn’t go deep into what happened over in Thailand over the next three days but I’d jump straight to the day of the departure.
Thailand: Revelation
Until we boarded the flight from Kolkata to Mumbai, everything went quite straightforward.
The real fun started when we left for Mumbai. I have a serious problem of sleeping in means of transport. No matter how tired I am, I can hardly ever manage even a quick nap in a Bus, Car, Train or even the comforts of a Plane. But that day I somehow managed it. I have serious flying phobia. I hate flying from the bottom of my heart. And even after that being my 22nd flight, things weren’t any easier.
After somehow managing to go to sleep, the plane shook vigorously. Lights flickered, bags bumped and people gasped. The scene was right out of a Hollywood flick. There was no immediate visible panic but I could sense the tension. The shaking of the flight didn’t stop and it went on and on as if I was sitting in a suspensionless car driving on a really bad road. The turbulence was immense and I just couldn’t take my eye off the Air hostess who looked entirely out of her senses. The striking face which looked so admirable not more than an hour ago looked horrifying because of the fret it protruded. The flight bent left and right and just wouldn’t stay straight. It was like an arrogant crying kid who wouldn’t budge if he wasn’t given a candy. I was scared to bits. There was no announcement of any sorts.
30 minutes into the ordeal and way past our expected landing time, we were still in the air experiencing mindless turbulence and no communication of any sorts at all from either the cabin crew or the pilot. I was curiously checking the news before that and it showed of two breaking news. 1 Two Planes colliding midair killing all 3 in Colorado, USA; & 2. A possibility of Terrorists on a Dubai bound flight from Mumbai. Both news shook me as the flight’s interactive map on screen kept on showing the expected time to destination change from 19 minutes to 16minutes and again back to 24 minutes, 19 minutes, 16 minutes and back on to 25 minutes. The Flight kept on circulating in random circles for a while fluctuating the times on screen. The entire experience had me reeling.
And then, at one such vigorous wobble, everything stood still. I thought it was all over. It made me nauseas. I felt this was meant to be. It all made sense. Flickering lights, running airhostesses, panicked fellow travellers, turbulent flight, everything was just right. And then it happened. Time Froze. My entire sad little life passed in front of my eyes. A well projected long film that had a running time of 25 years but finely edited into those acutely small seconds. It was like a time warp. A quick flash! It didn’t portray me that entire well. So many things that never crossed my mind, which I had forgotten, which I had locked into that small little box and hidden it in the deepest bottom of my mind had unlocked and sprayed its ugly truth onto me. Times I failed to live up to expectations when I really should have. Things I did which I shouldn’t have done. Shameful little secrets I kept. Everything that was supposed to be dealt with that I didn’t bother with crept out like an ugly creature out of the Jungle. Nothing was fake or false. It was as if someone reminded me of all the things that had happened in my life. Everything started going in kind of a slow motion with both childhood and adult memories I had not thought of rushed through my head. I knew I was going to be a dead duck in a few minutes time.
But then somehow we just kept going onwards. After a while the overtly gorgeous Yana Gupta eventually showed up on the screen informing us of the landing procedures. When we finally touched down, I felt a sense of calm like never before. I spoke to the airhostess while disembarking and she said she had never felt anything like that before and it was probably terrible weather. I further pushed her on about not informing us regarding the delay in landing and she just said, don’t worry Sir, All is well!
I know people say your life flashes in front of your eyes just before you are going to die. But I feel this was Gods way of enlightening me of what was meant to be done and how serious I have to get about all these unfinished businesses of mine. I feel gutted at being a failure but also glad at being safe and sound and going through the experience of being awakened to the realities of life. Karma or no Karma, God is omnipresent. It is just up to you to feel him. Talk to him. Sense him. I need him with me for the rest of my life.
I woke up the next day, went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror reminding myself to the famous quote: Today is the first day of the rest of my life!
God is great. And I am utterly sorry if I ever doubted his Presence.
