Waiting for Godot

Whenever I am traveling I am touched when someone bothers to come and receive me. So when some one I know is arriving I always go to receive them. This time around it wasn’t a friend.

I had been asking for an interview to a film world make up artiste the week before. It had not happened thanks to the artiste’s busy schedule.

He told me that he was flying back that night from Kolkatta and I could meet him at the airport. We could have tea and do the interview. I jumped at the idea as I was leaving Bombay the next day.

The flight was to arrive at 1030 pm. In the evening I called to make sure he was taking the flight. I reached Mumbai’s Santacruz airport at 1015 pm. I was dead tired as I had been awake since 5 in the morning.

The airport was very crowded. While departure of private and Indian Airlines had been segregated into two terminals, arrivals had been clubbed in one. That was one of the reasons it was crowded. The other reason is the dropping fare’s and the bludgeoning middle class.

It was very hot and humid and the rains came down gently every now and then. This added to the humidity and discomfort. There were no chairs to sit. No air condition and no fans and the place was dirtier than a street in a slum.

How can the Airport Authority of India treat us this badly? Are we not a part of their plans. People arrive and people come to receive them.

Shouldn’t we have an arrival lounge where people can sit and wait. They can be comfortable while you delay the flights endlessly without even an apology or reason for the delay.

The display changed from expected to delayed. It took another ten minutes to resolve to 11.10 pm. This display stayed till 11.40 p.m. again there was no announcement at all to enlighten me.

My legs were killing me from standing so long. I went and plonked myself on the ground near the glass wall of the airport. I hoped it would break. There were a few people leaning on it.

Airports I began to hate. The cops at the gate were not very helpful. In fact they were ignorant about the topic. Their only job was to keep us out of the departure and arrival hall and clear a passage for the passengers.

Receivers apparently did not exist for the officials concerned. Otherwise would they have left us sweating and legs aching in the heart of the city. Airport travel is the most expensive way of traveling. Can’t they use the money to buy us a few chairs if it isn’t asking for too much.

It was fifteen minutes past midnight when I decided to quit while still standing. I did not want to collapse and make a scene. The flight was still showing 11.10 pm. Well! Must appreciate their consistency.

Next day the make up man told me that the bird finally landed at 12.45 pm. 2 hours and 15 minutes late, total flight time is actually 2 hours 30 minutes. He too had not been told why the plane was late.

I went to his house and did the interview with some excellent Tea.