A Miraculous Rescue at the Delhi Airport

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Love – Adventure – Miracle

The below episode is my TRUE EXPERIENCE where I felt all the above three words taking its shape .You might wonder on a particular word above : Miracle.What miracle would I have experienced ?.All along my post, I have highlighted particular words as it was needed for this post.Ah ,well I can hear what you say.Okay friends , here you go .....

I was travelling from UK to Chennai airport all alone with my two kids.I have booked the flight ticket online for Air India flight from London Heathrow Airport to Delhi ,Indira Gandhi International Airport. And from Delhi my destination is to Anna International Airport ,Chennai.


Before boarding the plane,I took out my newly gifted HTC Wildfire Mobile Phone by my hubby and PHONED(called) him to inform him that I have finished the security check and now standing near the Gate 2 to board my plane.Though I have travelled alone on flights, this was my first flight which was not the direct flight and so he repeated again and again that I have to remove the luggage and then recheck in at the Delhi counter and get a domestic boarding pass.After a finally adieu with love, I boarded the plane.Making myself and my kids comfortable on the three-seated window seat of the plane,I MESSAGED my hubby of my take-off and upon request from the air-hostess intro section ,I switched my mobile phone to the AIRPLANE MODE .Soon,I was travelling high in the air with the company of my two little and naughty kids.

Taking Off.....

All through my long travelling , I was entertaining my kids with inbuild movies on the plane seat and with my Downloaded GAMES/VIDEOS from my HTC Wildfire Mobile Phone till the time they slept tight.Finally,we landed at the Delhi airport and was 15 minutes late due to some air turbulence .

The time was 11.00 p. when I landed in Delhi and I had solely one hour to board my next flight .that is 12.00 p.m.Immediately my made my way into the airport with my hand luggage and my kids.I then was waiting on the belt line to receive my other baggage ,two to say correctly.It took nearly twenty minutes to see the glance of my luggage.When it came finally on my hand, I searched for any signs to again for transferring to the domestic lines.Since I was completely new to the airport ,I had a hard time finding it asking everyone with a sign on their ID card but sadly none responded in the most correct way.By God sake, I found at last .I was running to the sign that said”Transfers “ with my two kids and the luggage.

I was transport to a lift (waiting for it coming down) .I saw the CLOCK on my Mobile phone pointing to 11.40 just 20min to the take off.I was nervous .I finally landed on the lift praying all the way.

To my disappointment, I was a line of check –in counters addressing each fight from end A to end F( that’s what they named each line/row of counters).I was again trying to read my Airport AI in every counter.Finally I got it, and went as fast as I can to the counter and produced my Tickets.

This is how it looked ..all in a row with each for a Airplane

The women on the counter looked at my tickets and with a frown on her face toks me that the fight has been boarded and I cannot take that flight.

That’s it.I was finished.I was stranded at the airport in a new place all alone with my kids.I could sense my fear rising and I helplessly was looking at my kids who were tired and exhausted all through the way.Gathering all my strength, I asked them again when was the next flight to Chennai so that I can be transferred to it telling them what all that I have undergone just to land here at this spot.

To my shock ,they replied that there is only one flight to Chennai ,that too at 4.30p.m and I can't board it because it is full.So I have to take the flight only on the next day.Till then I should make my own arrangement of staying elsewhere out of the airport .

Before they could finish those words,I could feel tears developing near my eyes.I was struggling to gather words asking them to help me since Delhi was a new place to me and I have no one else to support me either.Damn!..even my Mobile was out of network since I did not activate my international ROAMING on my Mobile phone.Now, I cant even inform my state to my family who will be waiting for us the Chennai Airport.

But all I got was a complete and still silence from them.They were clear that it was like a normal check-in process no matter whether I boarded the international fight to domestic flight and they can do nothing about my state.I was completely blank looking at my kids who were not able to understand the circumstance they were in.They were already exhausted and said they were hungry.I was praying for some help.

Just then a Miracle happened.

Yes,I should name it as a miracle.I was not the only one stranded at the airport .There was yet another women who was arguing on the same.She was now standing on my side and arguing that it was not her fault that she missed the plane.Seeing her that she was also from London ,the same air plane that I had boarded .She too was travelling to Chennai ,again through the same flight number.Now,thankfully I felt at ease,I had a company.(Should I say how relived I was??)

The Miracle did not end here.We were not alone.A few more joined us one by one and finally we were 14 of us including me and my kids.All had the same destination and have to board the same plane AI 002.There was one old couple, and one women(the lady I met first) and others were working men ( incl. me and my two kids).As we say that Unity is strength, the mens argued with the employers that they had very little time to take the baggage which came late and then also had little time to check in into the counters (which was true).Even the flight was 15 minutes late.Finally the Air India people agreed to find suitable arrangement in the next 4.30 flight. We were asked to submit the tickets and get booked for the next fight.

We were relieved.Again for me the problem did not end there.Now I had misplaced my ticket with all the fuss that I undergone alone running with my tickets for help.Every one had their seat booked for the next flight.I was still searching mine.Finally, I told them that I misplaced my ticket and showed them my boarding pass from London to Delhi and other details .They were cross and demanded the ticket to board the fight or to wait till the head officer comes( the time was unknown).I saw that the other stranded people got the boarding pass being issued and they were ready to be on the way .They saw my pledge and supported me to get a copy of my ticket through Internet since I had used online ticket booking.(Salut!..to internet)They were like a saviours for me.The lady at the counter , a delhi wala can't believe what she saw.She replied in a strong and true voice “You should be lucky to get these people.Your people are really supportive.”As she said those words, I could see her eyes filled with astonishment.At that time.I felt what I normally read in school ”Tamil Patrru/Naatru Pattru” meaning Love and belonging to the same community(ஒரே ஊரு மக்கள்  -தமிழ்நாடு மக்கள்  ) .

Then after getting the boarding pass,we all went together and had our lunch in the Airport lunch corner.We introduced our self .After a chat,we become from acquaintance to friends and we exchanged numbers. I happily stored them in my Phone CONTACTS with their names.I, with the help of the old couple also called my family to inform what had happened and my arrival time.Then,we all spend the rest of the hours together feeling like a little family. “ Neega Tamila, ada nanum Tamilian thaan “.Somewhere ,we felt we had a Love of our same community and language .Purachimani ,the lady I first met and I became close friends.We even took snaps and videos of each other as a token of remembrance of this memorable incident while waiting for boarding the Plane with the help of our Mobile Phone CAMERA and CAM-RECORDER(wow, how multitasking is this Mobile invention).We all flocked together helping each other till we boarded the 4.30 p.m AI flight.

At the Delhi Airport-Friends Na...

Our final destination came and we landed Chennai.I have read and heard stories of friend ship when travelling on Train(as we say "Rail Payannum”).Like it, I felt I had such friendship in Air.We 14 people had traveled the same flight from London to Delhi for 10 hours without even knowing each other.But during this small halt of 30 minutes in Delhi had paved way a beautiful friendship with some reliable and unknown faces.I learned to make sure to receive my boarding pass for the domestic flight at the London airport itself in future and also helped my husband who travel on the same route/plan as mine.

I even introduced some of my newly found friends to my family members waiting for me at the airport.

I had two extreme of adventure with a sad and happy moment at  the Delhi airport.I witnessed the Love that people have for their own people especially when in some foreign land or in a new place /unknown language.I also had witnessed a miracle of being rescued from a bad incident(Luckily it turned out to be a memorable one).I understood how people come forward to give hands to its own people whether they know them or not.Finally, I have found a new friendship that bloomed into closer  one.(Voila ..We still keep in touch ).I am even surprised now of how strange and sentimental the whole episode is!

Final Scene (Grace light through the Clouds) Caught on my HTC Mobile CAMERA

Credits:
The first two images are embedded from Google Images.All others are MINE.