An air of importance

Fearing a waterlogged traffic jam, I trudged into the airport an hour earlier than the stipulated check in time. Having made a mess in estimating the wait time, I compounded it by getting into the quarantine early (security clearance). Though my favourite music store was ready to give me company during the long minutes of waiting, I knew that alone will not be adequate.

The glittering shops and food counters, in the cavernous waiting hall, did not interest me as they mean costly buys and I was travelling economy. To pass time till boarding is announced, I fell back to anthro-probing on fellow airway farers heading towards various destinations. Being a spontaneous decision I had to do it without the knowledge of my fellow travellers!

Passengers in costly designer attires were the ones to get the first shot in my visual appraisal. The casual air they were trying to create set my heart racing to estimate the bundles of currency note that might have changed hands. These fashion trotters, in different age groups and gender, made me steal a look at my nondescript dress. It was a rude awakening to know the difference between modest and mod living. Absorbing this shock, I tried to imagine ‘what would be the state of mind of the person footing these bills’?

Some passengers kept walking with their trolleys, from one end to another with an air of importance. Their well groomed pets might die with envy if they happen to see their masters now. Or is it a deliberate ploy to exhibit their valuable luggage and affluence?  It is a pity luggage doesn't get stamped their worth during the security clearance.

Not to be outsmarted by their parents, kids totting laptops in personalised carrying cases, iPods and iPads held nonchalantly in hands added spice to the watch.  The nonstop, muted,  conversation hand in hand with the “I am what I am” attitude exhibited by some of these kids made me nervous at the clumsy way I still manage with my cell phone , while speaking. From previous experiences, I am sure this animated cell-talk will continue till the cabin crew reminds them it is time for takeoff. By chance if the kids get an inkling of my thinking, I am sure they will direct the ‘laser’ stare at me and vapourise their annoyant.

Parents, ambling back with popcorn or burgers or imported cookies made me to think “Oh, how considerate of them” turned out to be a short lived euphoria. Instead of offering the snacks to the kids, they started munching away as if obesity can be put on hold at the airport waiting hall! Ever alive to intriguing explanations, I imagined that the mere worry about just having parted with a king’s ransom for these snacks will  really help them to keep obesity at bay for the moment, at least. Being an unreasonable worrier, this quite unusual positive thinking on my part surprised me.

The “business class” passengers are literally a class apart – the ones not necessarily travelling by that ticket.  Travelling on behalf of companies, these men always choose the airport lounge to brag about the nth hour travel, refusal to travel late in the evening or the pressure exerted on the travel agent for the flight tickets.

A few other passengers were milling around aimlessly, wearing a perpetual worried look as if distraught about the way the traveller’ world is taking off at airports. I would have gladly exchanged my bucket seat with anyone of them to know whether I was in this class!

To shorten my agonising analysis, a group of non-Indians in nondescript clothing walked past presenting the most needed contrast. As in harmonics, I empathised with them without a prompt - may be they are also budget travellers or do not have some fat wallets opening for them! This non-descript travellers might have gladdened the hearts of my class members too.

I suddenly remembered an earlier, bitter experience of waiting for nearly twice the flight time on the ground itself. To keep the harried passengers busy they periodically parted with these information – an incoming flight has been delayed, a scheduled flight has been cancelled and the scheduled (?!) aircraft is undergoing a mechanical check. Fortunately nothing of that sort intervened. The interminable wait came to an end with the usual cabin announcement, the familiar roar of engines gathering takeoff speed and the floating feeling indicated that the aircraft was on its way for a ETA landing.

  

In a somewhat relaxed mood, I started reading the in-house magazine and travel brochure. After a few pages, the magazines could not hold my attention with information about gem studded watches, designer apparels and the like. Even the pages espousing budget travel had a glossy look.

At this point, my glance fell on the laptop of a non-Indian passenger occupying an aisle seat two rows to my left.  The script displayed on the monitor looked different. This gazing at the alien script went on for some time and all of a sudden that gentleman ceased working, as if sensing my prying eyes. In no way, that gentleman could have guessed that I could only get a confused image of his work and no harm will come to his secrets, if any. Then he started browsing on the cell phone and now I could get a clear view of the script, hanging like chandeliers in rows. After a few air kilometers  the puzzle resolved by itself. A pictogram may be, in Chinese or Japanese!

I finally decided to sleep till landing time. Somewhere in this snooze period an interesting argument was going on in my mind. The other person appearing in my sleep resembled the description of a ghost like figure in Frederick Forsythe’s   “The Shepherd”!

"These thoughts occur every time you come to an airport, is it not?"

I silently nod my head.

"Why should you feel about people travelling as per their wishes and style?"

I started thinking for an explanation and answer.

"Are you upset with the fact that you can’t sport such an air of importance and feel out of sync with the Travellites and fellow travellers?" 

I started to think deeply.

"The Magazines you tried to read did not help any except to remind “affluence and budget travel” has to coexist!. There are people who need know about turnbillions, chapter rings and watches with perpetual calendar. Understand this and take the world as it is to live your life! In case your anthro-probe is just a curiosity and your way of imbibing the ambiance, then no harm is done".

I experienced the vague feeling that the face of the apparition had a composite picture of all the faces I had observed and spoke in a voice that sounded like a mixture of all the accents I heard at the airport. Yet this inner voice, made me to feel as if some real person was carrying on a conversation with me.I took it up as a friendly wake up call as the plane was descending towards the runway for landing.

At the end of the journey, I decided to rest my anthro-probe analysis for some time, at least at the airports.