BIAL and Me

I just happened to be on one of the last flights out of our horrid old HAL Airport on 23Jun - before which I was SO stressed out about whether or not I'd have to go all the way to the new airport or not! But thanx to Govt. delays we so often take for granted in here Karnataka, I didn't have to do the 40km commute and face first day fuggups at BIAL! There was a cloud of nostalgia (apart from the shifting chaos) at the old airport - and for some strange reason I felt really good to be a part of it. To begin with I got there an hour before, only to be informed that my flight was going to be 2 hours late - which gave me 3hrs to boarding time! Thank god for small mercies - I'd have cursed had I been at BIAL - I escaped passed the guards & met a friend for dinner. Back in the airport the passengers seemed pretty nostalgic too - given the circumstance, no one was pissed off or rude. Coffee Day seemed to be running out of beans! One man even went around with a handicam - into the bookstore to have a chat with the owner!

When I got back to the city I landed at BIAL. After years of waiting the spanking new Bangalore International Airport is up and running - definitely needs a bit of oiling, but at least its here! And there are dozens of articles on how good/bad/ugly it is, but for now, here's what it means to me:

Changed the Bangalore skies forever! There'll be no more wishes when a plan goes over my head, or floating on my back in the pool waiting for a plane to fly over! Or worrying about the repeated nightmare I used to have!

I'll look forward to long drives on a good road for chai @ weird times, like we used to do when we were in school in Calcutta! Drives to the airport used to be regular after a night out! Which was a good thing for me when we moved into an apartment 2km from the airport - I was assured a ride home!

Means a lot more train rides or drives to Madras or Hyderabad - or any other near by places I plan to go! Especially with the Hyderabad new airport being miles away as well - a combined city to airport drive time of up to 3hrs!!

I'm not going to volunteer to pick up family anymore - specially the crack of dawn flights!

I'd better get me a nice BIG backpack that I can get on the bus with! The buses are pretty decent, with loads of luggage space - and you don't feel scared that someone will walk away with whats yours coz there are only about 15-20 people on board!

For now this shall be it! Perhaps there'll be more once I take a flight out!

I'm not sure I have a song for the occasion! But if you have the time and the inclination watch Unaccompanied Minors - and know for sure that this place is not quarter as HUGE!!! But it'll have to do! :-)