The flight was to take off at 3.45 pm… The late winter afternoon chill in the North Indian city was not permeating inside the plane. A sharp ray of sunlight pierced through the drawn up shades. He was seated 20 minutes early in an entirely unoccupied row and was looking at the deserted tarmac pondering at the day’s events, no not just the day… he seemed to travel back in time.
It had been over 12 hours since
he woke up to catch the early morning flight to reach this old world city.
That morning!
The 3.00 am alarm, the warm shower
and coffee later it was an hour by cab to the glitzy South Indian International
Airport. He walked through the security check with just a book in hand and the
two hour long flight soon took off at 6.30 am. The poignant day unfolded in a city he
was returning to exactly after 26 years, to the date. The landscape had changed,
the highway from the Airport winded in almost into the city, before taking a
detour. The air smelt different, the soil, of whatever was visible away from
the concrete-topped-roads, was red. The jacket barely helped keep warm from the
January cold. It hardly seemed like 10.00 am when he landed at the relative’s
place. Reminiscences of childhood memories took over. It was mostly nostalgia, some
sketchy recollections and some lost opportunities to connect. Hunger couldn’t
wait and a quick lunch later it was back to the airport for the return journey.
The Thoughts!
So, back in the plane, looking
out at the tarmac it was a silent period of waiting for the take off to happen.
He was soon lost in thought… Not just the day… but the past few decades… Of people
who walked along – the human bonding… friends, relatives, acquaintances… Life
at large… …
As the big bird soared, he looked
out at the ground below that made the contours visible in miniature… large
expanse of uninhabited greenery, rivers, mountains, dry lands… the
intermittently dotted towns with signs of human existence through man-made changes
to the landscape. Somehow the eyes drooped and the sub conscious took over.
Over a quarter century ago…!
They were both sipping tea having
just alighted from the train. It was almost sub-zero temperature – thick fog
made visibility beyond a couple of feet impossible. Sunrise was still an hour
away. In their early twenties, they were much energetic and the walk turned
into a jog. The child like enthusiasm was more to do with the holy town they were
both in. It was the place they were born; the cousins had last met as teenagers.
It would be another three hours
before the next bus journey takes them to the royal city for a wedding. For now
it was catching up time on future plans. While both were extroverts and
gregarious, the younger one was less brash and came with his South Indian
inhibitions, the elder one was quite a bubbly character, more of a born
salesman and one he made a good career out of. They both had a common interest –
music. They sang well, the elder was more mesmerizing, an instant hit in any
get-together and was the life and soul with his melodious renditions. The
younger one was a reluctant sales guy but an effervescent team player. They
both spent the next two days together at the family wedding and were looking forward
to carrying forward the bonding.
Soon they went their ways – The senior
stayed in the North, got married in a few years, had a checkered career in
sales, moved to different cities, didn’t make a fortune but won hearts with his
ever increasing popularity as a soulful singer. The other cousin returned to
his South Indian home and made a career in media, a family man – he stayed with
his parents. He got married and grew up the corporate ladder. There was late career
changes in both their lives, even as they both were now doting parents to teenage single
kids.
Technology, they say has made the
world a smaller place, bridging distances hitherto reachable in days, through
instant messaging and virtual hand-holdings over video calls. Somehow the only
contact the two had was through a social media platform – wishing birthdays
through text, ‘liking’ family pictures and shared poetry. The bonding was lost
in the growing up years – years of making a mark in the rat-race.
Everything seemed oh-so-made-for-social-media
perfect life until the unusual phone call came. Yes, “you heard it right – he left
us”…!
That was when he took that morning
flight to be at the relative’s place to share their grief. The elder cousin,
almost his age, had passed away less than 72 hours ago. It was easier holding
back tears than consoling the bereaved family. Reminiscences of childhood memories could
not fill the void. Nostalgia is not always a sweet thing, recollections and
some lost opportunities to connect only made the years gone by miserable. He
just closed his eyes momentarily!
Jolted out of the tired slumber
was the landing gear hitting the tarmac with a huge thud… Yes, two hours had passed…
The visibility outside was fine, but the moisture had formed a thin film that just blurred
the vision temporarily. He wiped his eyes and felt the heaviness in the heart
that failed to get an answer… Is death the true meaning of life…?
The search for answers continues... Life goes on...!
----------Pic courtesy: Internet-------------
----------Pic courtesy: Internet-------------
In Remembrance!
