Today, when I flew from Jodhpur to Bangalore, I was a mess. My mind was preoccupied, I was rather worried and clueless. And basically upset all over again.
And at Mumbai, the stopover, there was a huge Rajasthani family/group that boarded the flight. While the seat next to me was empty, a man sat at the aisle seat in the same row as my window seat. I didn’t bother to look at him. Or, across the aisle at this woman holding an infant, head covered (she drank water from under her pallu with her head and face still covered!) Next to her, her slightly older (only relatively) daughter of about 2–3 years old and an old man dressed in a traditional Dhoti + turban Rajasthani attire sat. Seats were filling in, announcements were being made and the little girl got restless and tried to clamber off the seat. The elderly gentleman kept pulling her back onto the seat until he lost it and pushed her roughly on the seat and may have raised his hand too. Tears, crying, a helpless looking mother who smothered her first born into her lap while holding the infant across her bosom. A very repentant looking gentleman, clueless person next to me, lots of angry passengers and frankly uncaring staff — all of us just wanted the already delayed plane off the ground on its way to our destination.
I lost track of everything after that and stared out of the window lost in my own melancholic thoughts. Just before this, the apathetic, elitist me saw the person next to me pay rapt attention to the safety announcements. And hunted for the safety instructions pamphlet with lots of panic. Not sure he could read either. But he held onto it once he found it.
Food arrived. I declined and watched the gentleman next to me and the family across struggle to understand what the food was, and how to eat it. I teared up. How scary must it be when you aren’t sure what a fork is. Thankfully, the food was Indian, so I guess they understood what it was.
As he fumbled to open the ziplock cover, I thought to myself how I have taken my life for granted. This can be so embarrassing when it shouldn’t be! Everyone figured it out and silently ate.
I dozed off only to wake up to see the little girl staring intently at me. I smiled back and there it was, a hint of a grin. Everyone around broke into smiles and I looked away smiling to myself.
I don’t know why they are coming to Bangalore or what they will struggle with. But today, this was a reminder to stop living in the past, chin up and look ahead and give my best. With courage and the willingness to be open to new things.
