Travel to India amidst the Covid 19 wave II!

I traveled to Doha, Qatar in the month of February 2021, in relatively calm. Onboard life and work is as usual except that there are sanitizers in most compartments.

While my social media was abuzz since mid-March 2021 with grim Covid hospital, graveyards and funeral scenes in India... it took a while for the international media to take notice and flash minute highlight news.

Soon enough though India Covid crisis garnered huge media attention and air time, Whatever that was beamed was unpleasant... Corona 2^nd wave ransacking metros, Tire II, III cities and extending to countryside too. Hospitals were overwhelmed with Covid cases and running desperate on Oxygen supply.

In middle of it was my scheduled travel back to India from Doha, Qatar.

A day after swab test I got a late evening 10:30 flight from Doha. I registered my travel on airsuvidha.com and smartcitydehradun.gov.in

From the port township of Ras Al Khaimah it was a good two hours’ drive to Hamid International airport with huge upcoming FIFA 2022 football stadiums along the way.

A hour at airport lobby before getting entry to the departure at 7:30 pm.

The immigration lady officer spoke English with an Arabic ascent. I yet thought it was Arabic till I released she was asking me to step on the shoe marking on the floor for a iris scan, "open eyes wide" she said grumpily.

After a tenure at sea, the airport shopping arena is a refreshment. I took a round of the shops – No sale! Finally, I walked in the duty free – No liquor! 

The salesman on asking pointed towards the long black curtains at the store end “Liquor racks behind curtains”.

Its usual for me to not bother of the brand of liquor, neither do I check the price first unless it is exponentially high. 

What I look for instead is the complementary wine glass, beer mug or any drink accessory that often is on offer, though not free bags (Indian international airports which run aplenty with free bags offers).

The Qatar duty had no complementary offer on liquor, or that’s what the sales girl told me. 

Well! Turns out, she's not looking hard enough! I found tea cups on the Scottish Hendricks Gin. Though I've no idea or taste for Gin, picked up two!

Indigo is a no frill lean carrier. With (as in the past) kingfisher and Jet airways, travelers were guest, but no-frills cattle cart carry only passengers. The meals are paid.

Inflight I don't take meals, collect souvenirs instead. Small metal boxes - roasted almonds or salted cashew nut case, this time a Murukku box. 

For drink I prefer tea or cappuccino and usually carry along a pack of biscuits. Its so much more pleasure to biscuits dipped in a coffee at an altitude.

Striding smilingly through the aisle, the air hostesses took all effort to make passengers at ease serving bottled water, meals and brewages without slight Covid inhibition. 

Awesome!

After my drink (cappuccino), and high on hydration; I walked to the rear toilet and found the last few rows vacant. 

Well! didn’t return to my seat, instead laid sleep on the last row vacant seats until the announcement went on the PA, “this is the captain, we’re ready to land at Delhi Indira Gandhi international airport”.

A nice flight, yet nothing compared to my Jet experience with gold membership offering most of the time an upgrade to Business class.

The passengers were told to get off two rows at a time and the passengers adhered. There is otherwise an international tendency among many passengers to shoot out. Not this time though!

Morning at 5, the calmness at dawn was yet to be broken by the morning hassle. 

Mandatory RT-PCR test for 800 Rs were being conducted at the airport. 

If one wished a sofa and swab collection to come to you, cough up 500 bucks more. All sofas were vacant.

I received my stamped paper and moved on to the sample collection chair. The swab collection medical staff looked relaxed; young girls and boys, likely medical students.

A CISF Jawan checked the swab collected stamp on the paper and guided towards immigration. Everyone was up to their duties with reasonable enthuse, without hesitation or apprehension.

With no rush at the immigration, in 10 minutes I was at the Duty-free shopping arcade. 

The sales staff approached, citing the various offers. Ducking any unnecessary interaction, I moved straight to the luggage belt.

Encountering pleasant people on their job admits the media paranoia of Covid in India, might have freaked me out. Obviously, I lately was watching too much of Indian news!

Near Exit at customs there was a que for luggage scan. 

As it was my turn, a custom officer approached, asked for my passport and guided me to by-pass the scanning machine. 

Even with Covid lurking in the air over Indian prominent cities (or that's the clamor), staff is interacting and being nice.

Outside Terminal 3 was the pleasant sight of a clear sun rise. It made me pause for a minute and watch the sun emerging at the horizon. 

The taxi drivers were soliciting customers while I had been disconcerted if there would be any cab even available, considering that Corona arrived in India through airport itself.

While airport staff was turning up for their 6 O’clock shift, I walked to the adjoining terminal 2 for my connecting domestic flight to Dehradun. Everyone wore mask, some even below their nose… with no rush!

I placed my two bottles in the already stuffed check in bag. 

There was a que at the drop baggage counter. People spared a little more space than usual and that was it!

Terminal 2 is a small domestic junction with few shops and eateries. Families were having food as usual. 

Up till arrival in India, I donned a surgical mask, but now I refrained from any activity that involved withdrawing my N95 mask. 

Most people though had only surgical or other fancy mask, quite a few even had double mask and one gentleman was in full surgical suit.

As all people were masked, for a change, there was lot less noise. Indians otherwise seldom are a silent lot.

Like most places, airport seats alternatively were marked to be kept vacant. I took a corner seat. 

With  time at hand (3 hours), I settled with various copies of free airport dailies.

Seems there are fewer flights taking off so the seats occupancy is yet high. 

On my Dehradun flight I had all three seats in my row to myself. 

As soon as the Airbus A320 was airborne, it announced, “we’re preparing for landing at Dehradun, Thanks for choosing Indigo”.

At Doon airport police personnel handed forms, asking to register on smartcitydehradun.gov.in. 

The compiled form on one’s travel and contact details was collected at a makeshift tent counter outside the departure exit.

The cab drivers helped everyone with the forms and online registration hoping to find booking while I had been disconcerted if there would be any cab even available for a longer haul.

I took the trolley to the airport gate where my lady was awaiting with her car.

The new toll road is awesome. The earlier 2-and-a-half-hour drive is now cut short by more than an hour. At the toll booth, vehicles honked as the Fastag scanning system wasn't working. 

Apart from the old excuses, the new in currency now is 'Internet down'. One get to increasingly hear of it at ATMs on weekends and public offices on weekdays among others.

My driver vouches for Reliance petrol, so a top up the car tank at Reliance petrol station on the way. Its a usual rush at the petrol pump!

As always, it’s nice to return home. Indians are a resilient lot with great fortitude.

Media is reporting the truth on ground in and outside of the Covid hospitals. Its a relentless pursuit! 

But we must consider that media itself survive on eyeballs. To garner eyeballs, likely most media houses believe, unless it’s presented as sensational, there won’t be enough audience (or TRPs). 

Hence as a friend, I happen to believe that I must share my experience. 

All said and done, the fact that condition in most Covid hospitals is dire, cannot be discounted. 

These are difficult times and fate can turn cruel anytime. We lost a lot many good people to this epidemic wave. There is deep concern, agony and anguish!

Yet the only thing negative, must we try best to keep is Covid! Apart from it keep safe, stay agile and be positive!

 

 

This scribble is in appreciation of the many people who close up on their watch, stand their ground with diligence and cheer while at this point almost every Indian have / had someone near or dear fighting against all odds to make it till next morning alive.

Feel free to share your experiences, thoughts, insights and comments! 

Lets get through it together.