Pixel Poems #9

And you thought ..... (part - 2)

 (continued from Part 1).

It was still roughly 20min to departure if I remember right, when we entered the security check point area. It had the usual "keep-everything-out-walk-through-scanner" set up, excepting that there were separate queues for men and women. With my patience running out, I felt like screaming, "am I in a queue for a restroom or what". With me and my son in the men's queue and my wife and infant daughter in the women's, I waited for my turn to come up to pass through the check point, only to realize that my wife, with the infant in hand, could not fold the stroller. Ok. Out of my line, I got near her and got the stroller thing going. Having lost my place in line, we started from the back again. Thankfully, the queue had not swelled up in the mean time.

Finally, we got the chance to take out our laptop, wallet, belt, iPad etc etc and went through the sacred gate. Then a metal detector pat down for me and, lo and behold, for the 6yr old too. I saw our stuffs coming out of the scanner box on the other side and I started putting the laptop and ipad back in their places. Then I heard the security guy in the police fatigue on the other side ask out "Is this your bag?". Even though time was running out, I kept calming myself that he is not the person to let it out to. But then, he surprised me by pointing out to my son's carry on - his pull-man bag with all his toys, books etc. (You really want to check a 6yr old's carry on..Thanks Murphy)..Little did I realize, Murphy has not made his entrace yet. So, the office took out the pullman and opened it with utmost caution. Lifted the few books slowly, and very cautiously pulled out something. I was about to faint. My son's plastic toy gun !!! Two of them..!! Real-life size and made to scale ..(Thank the chinese)..!! I could only imagine how it might have showed up in the x-ray scanner screen. No wonder they were serious. Since it was India and I usually pass on for a decent guy there, they did not question me or embarrass me further. I was told I cannot have it. I just nodded silently. They asked for the boarding pass - my son's that too- to record it as a "confiscation". (Drum's roll !!) My son got the first distinction in my khandhaan to be flagged for carrying a weapon through security check point in broad light. The beauty of it all was, while the officer was recording this in his book with the toy gun next to him, my son, watching all this, approached me and with a voice indicative of being close to tears, asked, "Appa, will they give the toy gun back or not ?".

In the excitement of this drama, with all the fellow travelers watching it without a word, I had failed to notice the few young men and a lady, formally dressed, with walkie talkies standing next to us. Only when one of them started talking in his handset did I realize their presence. "Gate, we have located the last passenger at security check. Over".  Oh yeah. Singapore airline officials. Waiting for us. Just for us. Not just them. But a whole plane of fellow travelers too waiting for us. Another first in my life- not only are we the last passengers to board the plane but the whole plane of people was waiting for us..just us. Those hapless guys were frantically searching for us in the whole airport with our names announced on the PA too. But with a "weapon confiscation" enacting in front of me, you could have blown an atom bomb for all I cared, let alone a PA announcement. One of the young men bolstered the courage to suggest to me "Sir, you could have put this toy in the check in baggage sir".

Looks like the our plane to Singapore was not fully booked so all the passengers have already boarded even though we had a good 10min before the planned departure. So, our whole family was escorted safely (so that we dont cause further delay) by four airline officals, one for each of us, hauling our carry on luggage for us. As if our experience was not enough so far, there was a final security check of the baggage on the aerobridge connecting the gate to the plane. My wife had lost her patience by now. She exclaimed out loud frustratingly "another security check ??". That one comment alone, at any other country would have meant a heap of trouble for us, would have made sure we miss our flight and get subjected to a barrage of questioning. For the first time, I thanked heavens we were in India then. The security people there, though they heard her comments, not only did they ignore it but did not doubt our travel intentions as well and with a smile, let us go without checking.

Never in the past 11 years, in the so many India trips, had I felt so relieved, on entering a return flight from India.    

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. 

Whose Line Is It Anyway ? - #19

My elder one was playing with the SWAT team gadgets and was engaged in a discussion regarding Police. The talk turned towards President etc. I mentioned that a President is a more powerful and important person than a Police officer. He couldn't stand that comment. He shot back - "All a President does is to dress up, live in the White House and rule the country. But a Police office FIXES things".
Really something to ponder over during this Presidential election year !!

One Friday we came home after buying groceries which included a pack of chocolate chip cookies. Thought it was late in the night, my son decided to take a stab at it, come what may. Asked him mom, "Can I have three cookies ?". He was expecting a stern NO from her and was prepared to negotiate. To his utter surprise, my wife gave in as it was anyway weekend night. Not expecting this response, he wanted to make doubly sure if his mom heard him properly so that he does not get into trouble with her. So he confirmed it again with her -  "THREE cookies, mommy? the one that comes AFTER TWO".