‘UP IN THE AIR’: IT’S GREAT THAT ‘EVERYONE’ IS FLYING, BUT…

After facing social turbulence at 30,000 feet, I wonder how we as a people will cope with a changing air-travel scenario

No matter how frequently one travels, the start of every journey is always a mixture of emotions. There is trepidation over what lies ahead, what the outcome could be and of course, how the journey itself will go. That was pretty much how I felt as I took my designated seat on my latest trip from Kolkata to Dehradun. Little did I know that what was in store for me was an encounter that would make me contemplate the very nature of Indian society. As I boarded, I noticed there were two women sitting on seats 1B and 1C, and that they had kept some of their belongings on seat 1A, which, incidentally, was mine. As anybody would have done, I politely told them the seat was mine, which under most circumstances, would signal that they should remove their luggage so I could settle in. However, their response was one I wasn’t expecting in any way and, for a while, it failed to even register. “We were here first and so the right to occupy seats is entirely ours.”

The skirmishes were far from over

I soon gathered that this was their first experience of flying and, not willing to make matters worse, asked the flight crew to explain how it works to them, which of course they did. Or should I say they tried to, only to achieve partial success. Upon the insistence of the crew, the ladies grudgingly removed their bag and I was able to claim my hard-fought throne. But though the war was won, the skirmishes were far from over. Traditionally attired and in bright colours as they were, the vanquished now simply refused to place their precious bag in the overhead storage, insisting they would rather make the whole journey with it on their lap. Explaining their logic, one of the ladies said that there was a substantial bit of cash in the bag, around Rs 33,000, and so there was no way she would let it out of her sight. And now that they had been forced to advertise its contents, there was even less chance they would comply with the crew’s request.

‘It would be heinous blasphemy to let the bag touch the ground of mortals’

One would think that the matter had been resolved, but no, there was more to follow. The flight attendant then requested them to place their bags under their seats. More vocal than ever before, both ladies expressed their shock that an educated person could even suggest such a thing. The bag bore sacred ‘Ganga Jal’ – a must for their pilgrimage to the Kedarnath temple and it would be heinous blasphemy to let the bag touch the ground of mortals. Faced with such divine complications, the crew elected to let matters be and withdrew.

The plane took off and somewhere during the journey I learned that my fellow passengers were from Jamshedpur and were on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath. Once we landed, the travails of the ladies continued when the aerobridge failed to appear. At a crossroads now, they had to turn to their recent adversary to get their bearings. I informed them that their salvation lay neither to the left nor to the right, but on board the bus that would take them to their sanctity – the lobby.

India on its way to becoming the third-largest domestic aviation market

With that, the eventful journey drew to an end, but the turbulence that was created in this jet stream rattled my mind and thoughts for quite a while. With a past that is deep-rooted in rural India, it was not difficult for me to understand the expressions, doubts, education or even the actions of the ladies. But the present complex existence of our land became all the more evident. Here, in flesh and blood, is our Bharat today. It is indeed a matter of pride that India is well on its way to becoming the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world and will overtake even our erstwhile colonialists, the English, to become the third-largest air passenger market by 2024.

According to DGCA reports, India’s domestic air passenger traffic grew to 1.20 crores in February 2023 and there has been no looking back for a long while now. Buoyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal initiatives and vision of “Hawai chappal-wearing common citizens also being able to travel in Hawai Jahaj”, this is a reality that is becoming more prominent each day and his UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik) scheme, intended to make air travel accessible to lower-middle-class families, is gradually bearing fruit.

But even today nearly 70 percent of the population still shies away from flying, choosing roadways and railways instead, with cost being the prime reason for their decision still. And our lands, our people, customs, traditions and rituals will remain unique as ever. The country moves ahead at jet speed and many have or are doing their best to catch the wave, but it would be interesting to see how we, as a people, carry and merge our existence in the face of this new turbulence that, even as it buffets us, thrusts us forward.

This article was also published in https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/up-in-the-air-its-great-that-everyone-is-flying-but/cid/1940818