This is not the third part of the movie series called Home trip. It is a series of humorous(supposedly) incidents on my third trip to home(Chennai) from Calcutta.
It is evening 6 pm on 3rd Jan 2008. I am checking IIMC's student forums. The classes on friday(4th Jan ) are cancelled due to INTAGLIO Business fest. I have been planning to go home for sometime. So this is it. If I go home by tonight, I can spend 5 days @ home by bunking next monday & tuesday. I start asking ppl there r any important things to be done in the next 5 days.
6.15 : None of the airfare websites list flights on 3rd Jan as they book tickets only up to 6 hrs in advance.
6.30: I open all airline websites (low-cost,high-cost and middle-cost) to check the flights available.
6.35: Kingfisher runs from Calcutta to Chennai @ 9:05 pm. This is the best flight available . I wanted to fly kingfisher for a long time. This is the occasion. I start filling the long forms. Its gonna take at least 10 mins.
6.45: Finished filling forms on Kingfisher Website . Still not completely sure whether to go home or not.
6.50: Press Submit after 5 mins of deep thought. " Sorry, your login is timed out". Shit! I start filling the form again. Kingfisher says" You have only 10 minutes left to book the 9:05 flight ticket"
6.58: Finished the form for the second time. Press submit immediately.
6.59: Kingfisher : "Your ticket is confirmed for the IT 732 flight on 3rd January 2008 from Calcutta to Chennai"
7.00: I ask Vinay Betala, the 20-year old MBA grad(youngest IIMCian ever) to print the ticket.
7.01 : I call the security for a Cab to airport. ( IIMC is in Joka which is a good 25 Kms from the airport. Normally it takes more time to travel from Calcutta Airport to IIMC than it takes from Calcutta to Chennai.)
7.04: I leave my room with my laptop bag & a coupla important pieces of clothing.
7.06: I run down the stairs and get into the Cab.
7.08: I get to the main gate of IIMC. I ask the Cab driver to wait for a coupla mins as I wanna draw some money from SBI ATM. I get down and rush into the ATM barely noticing something stuck on the door. It looks something like "Don't use this ATM". I didnt notice that properly. I insert my card & take out the 1000 Rs I needed. I turn back with a smile thinking of the fool who had stuck that notice outside the ATM door. I press the switch to open the ATM door. Nothing happened. Again. Nothing again. Now I realize. Thats why the notice on the door. I am stuck inside, the door can be opened only from outside.
7.10: I call Mrinal and ask him to come out & rescue me. He is happily doing geelagiri(flirting) with his girlfriend. He asks me to wait there and assures to send Rishi, another geelagiri.
7:20: I wait for 10 mins. No sings of Mrinal or Rishi. Suddenly God showers some luck on me. He sends a guy who wants to draw cash. I start smiling again. I have a probability of 0.1 to reach the airport on time. I thank that guy and get into the cab again.
7.25: I ask the cab driver to go as fast as possible. I promise to give him 20 rs extra if he takes me to the airport by 8 30.
7.45: No chances of reaching there by 8 30. I increase the incentive to rs. 40 now.
8:00: Cab drives gives gaalis( Nice swear words) as there is too much traffic and he is not able to drive faster than 35 kmph.
8.25: I am 15 mins within reach of the airport. Here it is, there is a CPI procession blocking traffic. I am screwed.
8.28: Driver takes a bypass route and is going real fast.
8.38: Drives says that I can reach the airport in 5 mins.
8.45: I reach the airport. :) The meter showed Rs.400. I give him a 500 rs note and ask him for 50 bucks change. He gives his gaalis again . He tells me that I screwed his taxi by asking him to drive fast in this traffic.
8.50: I forego that 50 Rs. and reach the Kingfisher Counter @ the airport. It is totally deserted except for a couple of Kingfisher 'babes'.
8.54: I have received my ticket & standing for security check. Damn! I have not attached the Kingfisher tag on my laptop bag.
8.56: I run to the nearest Air Deccan counter and request for a tag. He gives me a cold stare and asks me to go to the Kingfisher counter and get the tag.
8.58: I am back in the queue. Damn! There are 4 people ahead of me.
9.01: Security over. Waiting to get into the bus. There are around 50 people in the queue. None of them are Kingfisher passengers. All Deccan Passengers.
9.02: A Kingfisher employee(Again sent by God) sees my ticket from far and escorts me away separately and boards me into an already-waiting-for-5-mins-bus.
9.04: I board the flight with a broad smile. I can afford to smile now.
9.08: The flight takes off.
Finally Mission accomplished. Kingfisher is a great experience. Had lots of fun. I reach home around midnight.
Sorries again for a long post.
Claimer: The characters and incidents mentioned here are really true and not fictional. Any resemblance to a fictional story is truly coincidental.
It is evening 6 pm on 3rd Jan 2008. I am checking IIMC's student forums. The classes on friday(4th Jan ) are cancelled due to INTAGLIO Business fest. I have been planning to go home for sometime. So this is it. If I go home by tonight, I can spend 5 days @ home by bunking next monday & tuesday. I start asking ppl there r any important things to be done in the next 5 days.
6.15 : None of the airfare websites list flights on 3rd Jan as they book tickets only up to 6 hrs in advance.
6.30: I open all airline websites (low-cost,high-cost and middle-cost) to check the flights available.
6.35: Kingfisher runs from Calcutta to Chennai @ 9:05 pm. This is the best flight available . I wanted to fly kingfisher for a long time. This is the occasion. I start filling the long forms. Its gonna take at least 10 mins.
6.45: Finished filling forms on Kingfisher Website . Still not completely sure whether to go home or not.
6.50: Press Submit after 5 mins of deep thought. " Sorry, your login is timed out". Shit! I start filling the form again. Kingfisher says" You have only 10 minutes left to book the 9:05 flight ticket"
6.58: Finished the form for the second time. Press submit immediately.
6.59: Kingfisher : "Your ticket is confirmed for the IT 732 flight on 3rd January 2008 from Calcutta to Chennai"
7.00: I ask Vinay Betala, the 20-year old MBA grad(youngest IIMCian ever) to print the ticket.
7.01 : I call the security for a Cab to airport. ( IIMC is in Joka which is a good 25 Kms from the airport. Normally it takes more time to travel from Calcutta Airport to IIMC than it takes from Calcutta to Chennai.)
7.04: I leave my room with my laptop bag & a coupla important pieces of clothing.
7.06: I run down the stairs and get into the Cab.
7.08: I get to the main gate of IIMC. I ask the Cab driver to wait for a coupla mins as I wanna draw some money from SBI ATM. I get down and rush into the ATM barely noticing something stuck on the door. It looks something like "Don't use this ATM". I didnt notice that properly. I insert my card & take out the 1000 Rs I needed. I turn back with a smile thinking of the fool who had stuck that notice outside the ATM door. I press the switch to open the ATM door. Nothing happened. Again. Nothing again. Now I realize. Thats why the notice on the door. I am stuck inside, the door can be opened only from outside.
7.10: I call Mrinal and ask him to come out & rescue me. He is happily doing geelagiri(flirting) with his girlfriend. He asks me to wait there and assures to send Rishi, another geelagiri.
7:20: I wait for 10 mins. No sings of Mrinal or Rishi. Suddenly God showers some luck on me. He sends a guy who wants to draw cash. I start smiling again. I have a probability of 0.1 to reach the airport on time. I thank that guy and get into the cab again.
7.25: I ask the cab driver to go as fast as possible. I promise to give him 20 rs extra if he takes me to the airport by 8 30.
7.45: No chances of reaching there by 8 30. I increase the incentive to rs. 40 now.
8:00: Cab drives gives gaalis( Nice swear words) as there is too much traffic and he is not able to drive faster than 35 kmph.
8.25: I am 15 mins within reach of the airport. Here it is, there is a CPI procession blocking traffic. I am screwed.
8.28: Driver takes a bypass route and is going real fast.
8.38: Drives says that I can reach the airport in 5 mins.
8.45: I reach the airport. :) The meter showed Rs.400. I give him a 500 rs note and ask him for 50 bucks change. He gives his gaalis again . He tells me that I screwed his taxi by asking him to drive fast in this traffic.
8.50: I forego that 50 Rs. and reach the Kingfisher Counter @ the airport. It is totally deserted except for a couple of Kingfisher 'babes'.
8.54: I have received my ticket & standing for security check. Damn! I have not attached the Kingfisher tag on my laptop bag.
8.56: I run to the nearest Air Deccan counter and request for a tag. He gives me a cold stare and asks me to go to the Kingfisher counter and get the tag.
8.58: I am back in the queue. Damn! There are 4 people ahead of me.
9.01: Security over. Waiting to get into the bus. There are around 50 people in the queue. None of them are Kingfisher passengers. All Deccan Passengers.
9.02: A Kingfisher employee(Again sent by God) sees my ticket from far and escorts me away separately and boards me into an already-waiting-for-5-mins-bus.
9.04: I board the flight with a broad smile. I can afford to smile now.
9.08: The flight takes off.
Finally Mission accomplished. Kingfisher is a great experience. Had lots of fun. I reach home around midnight.
Sorries again for a long post.
Claimer: The characters and incidents mentioned here are really true and not fictional. Any resemblance to a fictional story is truly coincidental.
3 comments:
Ha ha ha ha!! Looks like Mr.Murphy has had a field day with u!! :). Glad u finally boarded the flight and reached chennai!!
nice post Nattu!! :)
Semma action packed stuff.. Very natural expressions.. Kept me guessing whether or not you would make it home!!! LOL :) good job!
sooper cute!
start writing fiction, Nat..u make a good Sheldon.. :)
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