Flight No 6E 304

Date : 20 Oct'06
Time : 8:35 PM
Flight : Indigo AE 304
Itinerary: Chennai to Delhi
Mood : Amused
Special : Twinkling Diwali Night



Thanks to my lethargic approach to travel planning, I ended up booking tickets to Delhi from Chennai instead of Bangalore. Even though I wasted one day in journey, the flight proved to be quite an amusing experience.

As soon as I buckled up my seat belt, I realised there was a big group of youngsters on board. Gang of some 30 odd boys and girls, quite fresh out of college and undergoing training at sprawling Infosys campus in Chennai. New joinees in IT are quite easy to identify, they wear their 'access tags' wherever they go, on the streets, in buses and suprisingly, in the airplane too ;-). You can make out the sense of relief of first job and proud of being employed by one of the biggest home giants. Many were travelling for the first time and a lot of research was goin on about the aircraft seatbelts and wings. This was their first Diwali from their first salary. Sheer excitement and joy marked their journey and I was a part of it. Here's an account of the same.

Before I began, I must admit that even though Indigo claims to be a low cost airline, they have left no stones unturned in hiring a good looking crew. There was a very cute air hostess on board, much to the delight of the male fraternity present there. While she was busy giving away the safety instructions, they were trying hard to make her tip and finally she gave in with a tight lipped laughter. A huge applause followed her performance. It was not only surprising but strange too, and I had a good laugh over the ongoing events. Even the most stern looking faces finally eased up. Afterall its better to get wrinkles from a smile than from a frown. The plane rushed through the airstrip and there echoed an energetic Jaikara "Jaikara Sherawalin Ka - Bol Saache Darbar Ki JAI". Those who don't know about Jaikara, its literally a shout of victory, triumph or exultation commonly used to mark the safe journey of travel but I was encountering it for the first time in an aircraft. It was quite a nice change of breaking the norms after a long time. It felt as if I'm in a college bus to a college fest, lots of giggles, leg pulling and ofcourse, tonnes of PJ's.

I took a break from flashbacks of my college life, first job and first flight to glance through the window upon the twinkling lights of Chennai. Lakhs and lakhs of light bulbs were scattered like a sheet of stars mirroring the sky. This Diwali was quite special for me. Whole family was going to celebrate it together after 3 long years. Moreover, a surprise visit and I was quite excited bout it. I pulled over the lever of my chair and slouched back, trying to relax amidst the chaos and energy marked by festive spirits. What a joy, festival of lights has just begun!!