From Heaven to Earth, with a thud

Our flight from Bhutan was via Kolkata. And from heaven, we came back to earth with a thud. We were greeted with red flags all over the airport. And feared 1 more of the infamous West Bengal strikes. We were lucky. Apparently the flags were remnants of a strike from 2 days ago. How do you explain a strike called, supported and participated by the Government and its cadre. It’s bizarre. And can only happen in India.

And as we stepped out of the airport, we knew we had arrived in India. Ivy and the kids were to be spending a few days in Kolkata, whilst I was flying back to Mumbai. Fortunately, within the airport, there were pre-paid cabs and we took that option. As soon as we stepped out, we were surrounded. By people of various hues and colors. Offering, or rather forcing everything from hotels, to taxis, to carrying the luggage.

At the cab line, there were people literally grabbing the bags to put in, who would then demand money for their labor, which was neither requested nor necessary. I managed with a little screaming to get them to leave our bags alone, and to bundle Ivy and the kids into the cab.

The domestic airport that was across the road, was yet another ordeal. I was accosted more than a dozen times, with people literally trying to snatch the bags to carry. With some difficulty, I managed to get myself to the airport. And I thought that the nightmare was over.

Kolkata airport managed to surprise me. It turned out to be one of the dirtiest airports, I’ve been to. It was a complete mess. You had to jostle just to move in the direction of where you wanted to go. Actually, you needed to jostle, even if you needed to be in the same place. And apparently dustbins haven’t yet discovered Kolkata.

I guess luck needs to catch up. And finally I got lucky. My flight was after 4 hrs., but there was a flight that was delayed leaving in 45 minutes. I decided to try and make it. It took me some time to convince the staff and their manager, that downgrading could not be an issue. I was requesting to be downgraded from a full fare carrier to a no frills carrier. They kept telling me that I wouldn’t get food. The fact that I didn’t care didn’t impress them. Finally, they agreed and I was just glad they didn’t make me pay for the missing my food.

We have everything. People, Resources, Destinations, Beauty, … God has been kind and given India everything a country could ever want. Yet we do not utilize it. We choose to make it as uninviting as we can. A classic case of “God proposes, Man disposes.” I wonder when we’ll learn.