From the very beginning, I had to fight with Jhuma, when she learnt about my intention of attending a conference at Minsk. She insisted, “We had the least idea about that country. It may not be safe. You should not go there.” But, I kept on pleading her. At last, she resigned, but gave me an angry look, and casually mentioned, “If your trip gets cancelled, I would offer a dala (a collection of items including money, fruits, sweets, etc. meant for worshiping God) to the temple”. I had no idea why she was worried so much. Even some of my friends were also curious, “Why Minsk?” But from my childhood I was always enchanted by the colorful pictures painted in the magazines of Soviet Union, which we could get then with a throw-away price. I always wanted to visit those places and talk to people, who seemed to live in a different system than ours. Even after the fall of Soviet Union, I am still having the same urge of visiting different places of Russia and its break away republics to know how their life was during Soviet Era. A few years before (in 2002) I did visit snow-covered roads and fields of Moscow, and was thrilled to see the famous statue of Lenin calling his countrymen to join the revolution, and the towering figure of Yuri Gagarin on the road side, while traveling by a car. We walked through the streets of Moscow, its red square and could see the remnants of displaced socialist system. This time too, when I had a chance to visit the capital of Belarus, I did not want to miss the opportunity. The only impression I had about that country, was that its gymnasts were very good to win many Olympic medals, and during Nazi aggression in the Second World War the people there fought bravely to defend their homeland. But it took a few months to get a formal invitation letter with some ministry clearances from my host, and finally when I submitted my visa application to the Belarus embassy in New Delhi, there was no decision on my application even after a few weeks. Somehow my travel agent managed to get it at the eleventh hour, and he promised me to hand it over with tickets and dollars on my arrival at Kolkata in the evening of my departure. That he did, and I could get through the immigration counter at Kolkata airport to board an Air India flight to Mumbai. From Mumbai I would fly to Moscow, and then from there to Minsk. When my plane left the runway, it was a huge relief for me, and I told myself that at least Jhuma did not have to take the trouble of offering a puja (worship to God) on my account.
There was only a gap of an hour and a half for catching the connecting flight to Moscow at Mumbai. I did express my apprehension to my travel agent, but he assured me, “Do not worry. You will find a person from Air India waiting for you in the terminal with your name written on a placard. They would transfer you to the Moscow flight.” Though my flight landed in right time, it waited for half an hour in the runway to park near the terminal, and then the passengers were brought to the arrival lounge by a bus. When I came out from the bus, only forty minutes were left at my disposal. To my utter dismay I did not find anyone waiting there for transferring me to the Moscow flight. So, I rushed to the Air India transfer desk, and asked my boarding pass for Moscow. The person attending there answered casually, “Moscow? Who is in charge for Moscow?” Someone answered him, “Nalwa.”
“Nalwa! Please take care,” saying this he instructed me, “Please go to him.”
Mr. Nalwa looked at me, and asked to his colleague sitting nearby, “Is there any flight to Moscow now?”
“Yes. A flight arrived today Morning.”
He took my passport, ticket and the boarding pass of my Calcutta-Mumbai flight, and then got busy with his work, answering queries to other passengers in between. I was counting minutes then. After a few minutes I requested him earnestly, “Mr. Nalwa! My boarding pass!”
“Oh! Your boarding pass,” and then he shouted “Who is taking care of transfer to Moscow flight?” Another youth came forward. “Please go with him. He will get you into plane.” He gave my ticket, boarding pass and the passport to him.
The person accompanying me advised, “Run Yaar! You would miss the flight!”
“What about my luggage?”
“Chhoro Yaar! There is no time for getting your luggage into the carrier.”
My heart stopped! How would I manage without my clothes and other essentials in a foreign land? Anyway I was running as best as I could with my companion’s careful guidance. We stopped near the security check point. There was a long queue waiting for me to join. My guide got nervous, “Wait Yaar! Let me see whether they would allow you to board.” He vanished behind the security line. I stood there for about ten minutes, and was still hoping for the best. Finally, I could see him coming out of the forbidden zone, walking casually and exchanging light remarks with some of his friends.
“Sorry Yaar! They did not allow you to board without your luggage!”
I was totally dumbstruck! Yet in stead of being furious, I felt curious to see how the situation being handled by the Airlines.
---
A year before, the movie ‘Terminal’ was released. I had no idea I would be in a state somewhat similar faced by the main character (Victor Navorsky) of that movie. Of course contrary to his melodramatic experiences, mine was a real traumatic one. In the movie, on arriving at the JFK International Airport at New York, Navorsky was denied an entry to USA, as his passport was no more recognized by the state owing to the change of guard in his country through a military coup. Neither could he go back to his own country for the same reason. So he had to stay at the transit lounge for days and weeks. I had also a problem to leave this transit zone. I did my immigration in Kolkata, and was waiting in the transit lounge to depart. So it was not possible for me to simply walk out from the zone without rechristening myself for an official entry to my own country. I was not sure also, what the protocol would be, if I had to abort my journey and go home. So it appeared to me, only way I could resolve this paradox, was by going to Minsk, and coming back with those foreign immigration stamps in my passport. I had still a day to spare for presenting my paper. I still could make it, if I had the proper connectivity of flights in between. So I presented myself to the same Air India transfer desk, and demanded a solution. I also explained them my prevailing transit status. It seemed they were also confused, and felt safer to transfer me to Minsk or to any other place by any means. So they immediately flung themselves into action, and quickly discovered that about an hour later, there was a flight of Air India to Frankfurt, from where I could board a plane to Minsk. But, they were disappointed soon to know that I had no visa for Germany, and even not a transit visa for going out of the airport to spend the night there. I was also not feeling comfortable to go to Germany without a confirmed ticket to Minsk. Neither were they confident. Yet they sent a telex message requesting a confirmation for my ticket to Minsk from Frankfurt. So every five minutes, I used to go to the counter, and inquired whether they received any reply from Frankfurt. I never knew whether eventually they received any reply. It became irrelevant soon, as the AI flight to Frankfurt departed in the scheduled time.
In the mean time, there was a changeover in the duty-shift at the transfer desk, and I came across of a person, who had an appearance like the cricketer Sandip Patil in his playing days. He assured me that they were doing their best, and quickly they would resolve the matter. Finally, he told me, that they arranged my journey to Moscow via Delhi. There was a flight next morning from Delhi. From Moscow, I would go to Minsk. However, in this case also, they were waiting for the confirmation for the last leg of the journey; that was from Moscow to Minsk.
“Please wait Sir. Once we get the confirmation, everything would be fine. We will send you to Delhi by tonight’s AI flight.”
I said, “I have no problem in waiting, if there is some decent arrangement for taking my rest.”
He apologetically told, “Oh! Sure Sir! Go to the Maharaja Lounge, and relax. I am arranging it. Take these coupons for your breakfast and lunch. Your flight to Delhi would be in the evening.”
---
What else could I do? I went to the so called Maharaja Lounge, and laid myself in a couch, haunted by several ifs and buts in my mind. I needed to get my travel itinerary, so that I could inform my host at Minsk about the change of my program. Though I informed her about my misfortune of missing the flight by sending an email, I needed to notify her alternative arrangements. I called my travel agent. He told me, “There should not be any problem in getting the confirmation. Let me also send a request from my system, so that we could get it a little early. Please check from the counter after half an hour.”
So every half an hour, I was showing my face to the counter, and was getting the same reply, “Please wait. Once we receive the confirmation, we will inform you.” In the mean time, in the lounge another Maharaja (King) turned up. In the earliest opportunity, he took a blanket and a pillow from the receptionist, and lied down on a sofa into a dark corner of the room. The young receptionist also advised me with a cheerful voice, “You too Sir, take rest!” I took his advice. There was nothing much I could do in that situation. I started quite early that morning, and the best I could do was to get some sleep to release my tension. So I stretched myself on a couch, and closed my eyes.
Probably I slept for an hour. Immediately after waking up, I went for my routine query at the transfer desk. There was still no breaking news for me. After returning back, I found my co-passenger was also awake. In the morning, I had seen him. He was shouting against those people at the desk, and demanding to meet a higher official of the Airlines. I asked him, “Why are you here? Did you miss your flight?”
“No. My flight is in the evening. But I arrived here in the Morning from Bangalore. I was supposed to be put into a hotel during this period. The staff at Bangalore told me, that they had sent a telex message about my accommodation. But, these people simply denied receiving any such message. Even I cannot leave this place on my own as I am now a transit passenger.”
I told him, “Yes. As far as I know, that is true.”
“Me too! I told that same dam thing to the Airlines staff in Bangalore. But they told me that there would be a separate arrangement for taking transit passengers by a bus from the airport. Dam liars! All false promises! I will not leave this matter. I will sue the Airlines. How could they harass a passenger in this way? Just imagine, I have to be here from Morning to Evening, just for nothing!”
“Where are you going?”
“Bahrin.”
“Are you Indian?”
“Yes. But I have my property there. Almost a year I am living in Bahrin.”
“What do you do?”
“I am a Civil Engineer, as well as an Architect.”
Then he asked my reason of becoming a ‘Maharaja’ in that lounge. I told him how I missed the flight. He remained silent for a while, looked at me with sympathy, and then advised me bluntly, “You won’t get anything, if you don’t shout against them. No one will care for you. That is why I was asking for their boss in the Morning. But could not get any one! Even they were not able to trace out the telex message sent from Bangalore. Good for nothing!”
The receptionist came to us and suggested, “Sir! The lunch will be available now. Please take it early. Very soon other transit passengers will come there. You may not get anything, if you are late.” He was really a good host, always taking good care of these unfortunate Maharajas!
After finishing my lunch, I reported to the desk, and this time got the news to my delight. “We received the confirmation. Please come after an hour. Around 2:30 PM. We will hand over you your tickets.”
I asked, “May I get my new travel itinerary?”
“Sure.” I was given a print out from the computer. I found that I had to leave for Delhi at 8:25 PM. Next morning at 5 AM, I had my flight to Moscow. It would reach there around 8:45 AM. From there I needed to catch the flight to Minsk at 10:45 AM. Finally I would arrive at my destination at 11:05 AM.
---
At 2:30 PM on dot, I went to the desk for collecting my tickets, and discovered that a new person was sitting there – much younger than his predecessor. When I asked him about my tickets, he replied, “No confirmation yet!”
It was a real blow to me. I said, “But I was told that my ticket is confirmed, and was asked to collect the tickets now.”
“Nope!” he reasserted after checking the system, “There is no confirmation for your travel.”
I showed him the print out given by the previous person managing the desk. He went through it, and returned it to me, “In my system, still I do not find it confirmed. Please wait for some more time.”
Then another gentleman, a senior colleague of his, came to my rescue. He told, “Yes! There is a confirmation. You can put him in the flight to Delhi. He would be given boarding passes in Delhi.”
But the young man was not convinced, and was still hesitating on this matter. Then on the insistence of his senior colleague, he told me, “Okay! I am putting you in our flight to Delhi. Please go with our staff, and identify your luggage. We have to put a new tag on it.”
So I went with a staff of the Airlines, and ignored the frown of security guards at the entry gates being escorted by him. We came near the exit point of the departure terminal. There I found my VIP-suitcase was lying like an orphan child with some other luggage on a dusty floor. There were a few persons talking among themselves. The moment I identified my bag, they were more than eager to put a tag on it. After coming back to the transit lounge, I went to the desk again and asked for my tickets. The young man replied, “That is not necessary. We are sending a telex message to Delhi. Our staff will help you to get the boarding pass.”
I expressed my concern, “As far as I know, even if I have a boarding pass, I need the ticket to board the aircraft.”
But, he assured me, “Don’t worry! We are taking care of your journey. Our ground staff at Delhi will be informed, and they will arrange everything required for you there.”
I rang my travel agent and told him the new arrangement. He was also surprised, “They should have issued you tickets. However, the telex message might do. They might be arranging E-tickets for you.”
Though I was apprehensive of going to Delhi without having the tickets or boarding passes, I tried to draw comfort from his words. At least, I could see an end to my waiting at Mumbai.
---
The flight AI 310 was going to Seoul via Delhi and Hong Kong. We boarded it in the scheduled time. Still I was anxious to know whether my wandering luggage finally got a place in the carrier. I requested the captain, whether he could verify its loading. He was nice enough to comply, and made a check with my tag. Finally, he informed me that it was in his list. It brought me an instant relief. I started enjoying the comfort of my short trip to Delhi. Beside my seat, a lady was traveling for the first time to a foreign country. Her husband was working at Seoul. She was going to meet him. She was quite nervous to make the journey. I gave her a few tips on international travel. As soon as the plane took off, I could not keep my eyes open. But I had to wake up soon at the call of the air-steward. Our dinners were being served. After that, hardly could I close my eyes, as I was eagerly waiting to see how the ground staffs of the Airlines at Delhi handle my case.
The plane reached New Delhi in time. While coming out from the aero-bridge two airlines staffs were checking our boarding passes. They were tearing a part of it. I told them, “I am a transit passenger.” They looked at me, but did not reply back. As usual they tore a part of my pass and went for the next passenger. After coming out I took the direction for transit passengers, But while trying to enter into the transit area, I was denied the entry. The security guard told me, “Only Airlines staff can go through this gate, Sir!” I said, “But no one received me here.” He suggested, “Please go downstairs. They might come there.” I was confused. Instead of going down, I went back to the gate of the aero bridge. Those two staffs were still counting those torn parts. I told them, “How do I enter into the transit area?” One of them took pity on me. He told me, “Come with me. We know you have to catch the Moscow flight”. He started calling some-one using his walkie-talkie, “Please come. Your passenger has arrived.” I was relieved to know things were placed in order. He brought me into the transit area, and asked me to wait before the Air India transfer desk. However, no one was there at that time. But he assured me, “Please wait here. Within five minutes, Mr. Nanda will meet you.” By saying this he left the place calling over his walkie-talkie, “Nanda! Nanda! Nanda! …” He vanished from my eyes for ever, and never came back to see whether some Mr. Nanda took the trouble of meeting me. But for the next few hours, his loud call to Mr. Nanda was resonating in my ear drums.
The next one and half hour was the testing time of my patience. I must admit that I was miserable at that. The transit area was thickly crowded. Always there were movements of passengers, airlines staffs, airport workers, and many others. I was waiting there standing in front of the counter, leaning against a pillar in the hall, holding my hand trolley. It was a catch twenty two situation for me. Neither could I leave the place with the apprehension that Mr. Nanda might come, and would return back without meeting me. Nor I was sure whether I would be able to get him by standing whole night there. So any one, whom I met, looked different from a passenger, I started asking whether he or she was an Air India staff. I could find none. One person told me, “Sir! I draw trolleys and carry luggage. That’s why I am here. Those babus (officers) are in the Maharaja Lounge upstairs. If you go there you could meet them.” An Indian Airlines staff commented, “Shout! Man! Shout! Go up, and shout.” A few passengers also noticed my long waiting, standing with an expectation to meet someone. One of them advised me, “Why don’t you go to the lounge and ask the receptionist to call an official?” I considered his suggestion, and went to the lounge upstairs. The receptionist helped me calling the PRO of the Airlines over the telephone. She told me, “Please wait before the desk. One of my colleagues will attend you.”
At last, a person, named Mr. Kumar, appeared before me. He told me wryly, “We know your problem. These people from Bombay! If they face any problem, they always pass it to us. Let’s see, what can be done. If it is not resolved, we will send you back to Bombay.”
I could not believe what he was saying to me. I told him, “I was informed that they had sent a telex message to you. There should not be any problem in getting the boarding pass.”
“Why did not they issue you a ticket?”
“I asked for it too!”
“I do not know how these Bombaywalas (residents of Bombay) run the business! Just a telex message! Is that all? Anyway, let’s see. The Aerofloat counter will open around 2 AM. I will come then. Let’s see whether they agree to take you.”
I looked at my watch. Still I had to wait for one and half hour to know my destiny!
Mr. Kumar further added, “ But, your luggage hadn’t arrived here.”
I looked at my watch. Still I had to wait for one and half hour to know my destiny!
Mr. Kumar further added, “ But, your luggage hadn’t arrived here.”
I was amazed to find how a fact confirmed previously could so easily be negated on the next occasion! I was going through these experiences since I missed the flight. Had I not confirmed from the captain of my previous flight, I had no other means to verify the fact, and would have accepted it meekly to my great distress. However, I told him, “I confirmed its loading into the carrier from the captain while boarding at Mumbai.”
“Is it? Then we have to check it properly. It might not have been unloaded from the plane. I could not trace it in the arrival hall. Anyway, I have many other things to do. I have to look after passengers of three flights, though you are our top priority. I will come, when the counter opens.” Thus saying Mr. Kumar took exit from the arena.
Now I had the privilege of occupying a seat. It was good to know that someone from the Airlines was working with my tickets and boarding passes. After a while I found airline staffs from Aerofloat were looking for passengers to Moscow. I told them, “I am also a passenger of this flight. I will go to Minsk from Moscow.” I also explained them how I missed my flight to Moscow from Mumbai the day before. Immediately they took my passport and ticket. I requested them not to tear any page from it. My return tickets were also with it. Already the ticket from Mumbai to Moscow was taken away by the Air India staff at Mumbai. Sometime later they came to me, “We are not getting your name in our system. There was no luggage either against you. Where is the staff from Air India?”
I told, “He was supposed to come here around 2 AM. Could you please check whether you get anyone from the Airlines? His name is Mr. Kumar.”
They tried to get him, but failed to trace him. So they returned my ticket and passport, “It is better you find him, and clarify the matter.”
Mr. Kumar came around 2:30 AM. He assured me, “I am working out your problem. I have arranged a ticket for you from my Duty Manager.” The duty manager of Aerofloat also came to meet me. He told me, “Your ticket is alright. But now we have to enlist your luggage. For this we need to screen your luggage in the X-ray machine and put a tag there.” Mr. Kumar gave this responsibility to one of his young colleagues. I was still in doubt, whether my luggage really reached there. So I asked the duty manager, “If my luggage hasn’t arrived here, may I board the aircraft without it?”
“Why not?”
“In that case, I am ready to board the plane without it, if necessary.”
Next half an hour I spent in planning how to manage my tour with a few things which I was carrying in my hand luggage. Around 3 AM, a lady from the Aerofloat Airlines came to me and informed, “We could trace your luggage. Everything is fine. Give me your ticket and passport. We will issue you a boarding pass.”
Oh! Dear! What great news! I was in the state of supreme happiness then, and started dreaming the sunrise at Minsk. I kept on waiting and was eagerly looking for the return of the Aerofloat staff for handing me over my boarding pass. Precious time was ticking away. The security check had started already. There was a long queue of passengers before it. I was feeling tensed again. Would there be sufficient time for me to clear the security check? Once I had a glimpse of the lady who took my ticket and passport. She assured me, “Everything is fine sir.”
At last the duty manager came to me. I told him eagerly, “Give me my boarding pass. I needed to clear the security.”
He smiled at me and said, “You have a problem. For going to Minsk, you require a transit visa from Russia. You do not have that. Otherwise, you might have to give a hefty penalty at Moscow Airport. Even they may not allow you to return back.”
It was a bolt from the blue! The last nail in my coffin! I was not sure whether I should believe him or not. But I understood that I was not wanted in the fight. I told him, “So far no one told me about this.”
“Yes. Air India should have checked it.”
He returned my ticket and passport. I told him, “Could you please inform the Air India?”
He said, “That’s a big task! It is difficult to get those people. Anyway let me see what I can do.”
---
After half an hour, the duty manager came with Mr. Kumar. Mr. Kumar told me, “Now we will be sending you to Bombay.”
I told him curtly, “I am not going there. What business I have there? Now I have to return to Kolkata. Make an arrangement for that.”
“But there is no flight to Kolkata.”
I suggested, “My return is via Delhi. I have to go to the Domestic terminal. Please arrange my immigration clearance.”
He replied, “I have many things to do. I cannot afford to give so much time for a single passenger. If you want I can send you back to Bombay only.”
I pressed, “Please note that as a transit passenger I am now your responsibility. If I do not want to go to Bombay, you have to arrange my Immigration clearance. Please try for it. Otherwise, I do not see any other solution to this problem.”
He finally got convinced, and said, “Let me talk with my duty manager. Whatever he says, I will follow. Let’s see whether we can send you back with the immigration clearance.”
---
Around 5:30 AM, he came back, “With a lot of persuasion, I could make the head of the immigration department here, agree to let you go. He would clear your immigration. After that you can go outside to take the flight to Calcutta from the domestic terminal. Please give me another half an hour. I need to write a letter to them.”
I was relieved to know that I would get back my freedom of movement in my own country. After that, the unfolding of subsequent events could be described in brief. Nonetheless they were very vital for regaining my freedom. I was indeed grateful to Mr. Kumar for bringing an end to my floating citizenship. Being lead by him, I could manage to sneak through different security zones. He brought me at the office of Immigration Department. The head himself stamped my passport to cancel my immigration. Then I came back to the transit area to get my luggage. Finally Mr. Kumar took me to an unconventional exit door for my uneventful departure from the terminal. Though I had the disappointment of not making my final destination, it was a great relief for me to become free from the imprisoned state of transit. My return to Kolkata was through a Sahara Airlines flight. As I had missed its Morning flight, I had to wait day long for taking the afternoon flight, which was scheduled at 4:40 PM.
So that’s it. When I reached Kolkata, it was about thirty eight hours after I started from the same place the day before. Till date I am not sure, whether I really needed a Russian transit visa for boarding the flight of Minsk from Moscow. Neither, did I ask Jhuma whether she had kept her promise at the altar of almighty after my trip got terminated.
25/03/2012
