Saturday, February 03, 2007

Phantoms in the brain.. and outside..

Footsteps all around.. Children playing at a distance..'Can I have your attention please'.. Voices speaking a familiar language..'Calling Mr. B.K.Mathrey'.. A child's laughter makes you smile.. 'Please meet customer service immediately'.. Conversations with strangers.. A lady calls her child..- 'I will go home with dad, and wont call later to say Goodnight, So I am calling to say Bye. I had a good time with you. Come back home son.. We miss you'..she left a voice mail... A few people sitting alone.. A man wearing a coat, carrying a company laptop.. 'Please board your flight to Ahmadabad immediately'.. A few lonely people.. Shahrukh Khan on NDTV.. BMC Elections update.. A distressed man who is flying in his Graphic Designer to India for a 12 minute job, because no one else in the country will suffice - he carries a high techno laptop..The coffee vending machine calling out to you to have a cup of coffee..'Can I have your attention please'.. 'Check 1 2 3 4.. No no, its too loud, Awaaz kam kar'.. 'Can I have your attention please..'.. 'Calling Mr. B.K.Mathrey'..'Passengers travelling to Ahmadabad, your attention please - the flight is delayed due to heaving incoming air traffic'..A funky teenager listening to music.. Groups of friends traveling for the first time by air - they are giggling..'Can I have your attention please'.. 3 friends very passionately involved in a discussion about their company.. 'Calling boarding for flight 466 to Chennai'.. the 3 friends are talking about the company I work for.. my ears are fine tuned to hear their frustrations - 2 from HR, and 1 is a trainer in the company.. 2 friends waiting for another friend to come, so they can board the flight.. Frantic calls to the friend.. 'Have a nice flight ma'am'.. An old lady alights the bus with help from an elderly gentleman.. Everybody is lost in their own thoughts.. Nobody has a minute for the person standing next to them.. Some are frustrated.. Many are happy.. The food hasn't been loaded on the flight yet, the steward pleads with the authorities to make it fast, 'Passengers are waiting to alight'.. 'Ma'am, would you like a cold towel to wipe your face'?..The man on my left is strapped up and snoring.. The man on my right is in awe.. I take out my book to read.. 'Ma'am. would you like some orange juice'.. 'This is your captain speaking.. Welcome on Flight 466 to Chennai.. Regret the delay in the flight.. We are expecting turbulent weather'....'Request you to remain strapped up and refrain from using the loo'... 'I want fruits'.. 'I want a blanket'..'Get me some water, have some mercy man!'.. Nonstop service through the flight..Phantoms in the brain.. Phantoms outside.. Song playing in my head - 'I walk alone... My shadow's the only one that walks beside me... Boulevard of Broken Dreams...' The journey ends, but the thoughts remain & the lives go on..

11 comments:

Everyman said...

Such a lotta things happening around you that you wonder if you will ever get time to yourself..

Did they find Mr. Mathrey? And was it Bheeku MAthrey???

Trainer you say???????????

zoxcleb said...

am confused!

APUGONNAB said...

@everyman - nah, Mr.Mathrey never came!!! & my flight took off before his!! :-D

@zoxcleb - confused? at what? This is a rather simple one..

Mia said...

whoa! you sound like Saleem from Rushdie's Midnight Children. Or better still, like JIm Carey in Bruce Almighty when he hears all those prayers :-/

AJ{ax} said...

good stuff in there mayttee!

zoxcleb said...

its too many things in one!

Grey Shades said...

So back to homeland are we? The airport can be quite a melee of sights and sounds lady!

AmitL said...

Hi,Aparna,visiting here after quite some time.Quite an enjoyable post with some nice observations(And,your experience, I am sure).But,tell me,do pilots actually use the word 'loo' when giving the warning about turbulent weather?:)(http://amitsmusings.rediffblogs.com)

A said...

Oh! You just reminded me of Tom Hank's The Terminal :)...
But you know some phantoms just get stuck in brain and never go by...
And the line "Nobody has a minute for the person standing next to them...Some are frustrated.. Many are happy.." is true but so detaching.

P.S. Had some similar travel experience last week...check out my phantoms in my latest post :)

APUGONNAB said...

@ riddhi - thanks babe!

@remya! - Jim Carrey? :-)) Yeah, why not? I dont mind Saleem either ;-)

@ajax - thanks dude!

@zoxcleb - thats pretty much what happens at the airport these days.. lots has changed since u left..

APUGONNAB said...

@ greyshades - homeland, home, and back again! :-)

@amitl - thanks man! the captain did say about the turbulent weather.. and mentioned 'loo' - think it is more accepted than 'toilet' :-)

@ashish - thanks for visiting.. Phantoms everywhere huh? :-)