And you thought .... (part - 1)

2-1/2 years since last visit ...

First Indian summer for me after 11 years..

First Indian summer for both my kids...and first trip for the little one that too ...

Exciting train journey's planned - both night train and day express trip,

First time on the Airbus A380 Super Jumbo for me (Is it me or do I really hear my wife's fist clench?)

- and last but not least, included with the above, are the myriad of usual variables/unpredictables that accompany any long awaited India trip with many events planned. Even with so many deserving factors in the mix, who would have bet that the most exciting moments of our entire trip were destined to be in a - a 15 minute episode, in the airport - (huh..huh..not at LA immigration or US customs), but in Bangalore airport, that too, not while arriving, but while leaving India. 

Yes, the very same moments, last few minutes before take off, that are supposed to be dull after the hectic trip, "duller", if you want to call it,  by the thought of a long 30hr flight journey looming ahead and then back to our daily routines. Nope, ours was not to be.

30 minutes to departure, a no-rush night, no queues anywhere longer than 5 people. Should have been a cake walk. Right ?

The whole thing was set in motion in our emigration check. We handed our passports and the forms to the 50-something man at the counter. Emigration check is the one thing I could not digest about India. I usually get irked when they ask me, an Indian citizen, questions when I come INTO India. That irateness gets compounded during the outgoing emigration process. (First, I am going out of the country and you have my passport, you know who I am, I dont have to tell you where/why I am going. Second, its the headache of the person in the border post of the my destination whether I have a valid visa or not. Just stamp the dumb thing and had it over to me). Back to reality - The first prick came when the emigration officer asked my Green Card. (My inner voice screamed "why do you care?"). Patiently I reopened my carry-on. Here, Green Cards. My little daughter started getting restless already in her mother's arms.

Few minutes spent by twiddling my thumbs standing there. The officer's head raised, with a smile too. I was in no mood to smile as he has processed only one of our 4 forms till now. He pulled out my infant daughter's form, showed me the line that read "Occupation" where we have simply put a "-". He patiently wrote "Infant" across it and did not forget to remind me to remember that for next trip. (I never knew being an infant was an occupation). Few more minutes pass. The said infant got really offended by her job description I guess and was now screaming at the top of her voice. My wife was trying her best to soothe her while giving a disapproving glance at me. I was equally helpless. The office had saved his best for the last. He lifted my wife's passport up (old and new) and removed the rubber-band tying them, re-arranged them with new one on top, with a satisfying smile, mentioned "you should always keep the new passport at the top". (Remind me again, which IPC code did I violate?). My patience was expiring. I did not tell you that in all our passports, old and new, he had patiently searched for the entry stamp, as if we are illegals, only to put his exit stamp next to it. It was a good 15 minutes when we finally got the clearance. Hordes of people have crossed to security check in the other lines. I threw a quick glance at the pathetic fellow next in line behind me and hurried to the next step - Security check. For the first time in my life I was tensed that we would be late to the gate. But a different experience awaited us.