The Messiah ... out of nowhere
Last month while travelling to Bangalore in a AP Tourism Volvo, I got to see a crap of a movie called "Kuch na kaho" starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. The movie had a scene where in Abhishek is supposed to fly to India but some how (as usual in the ishtyle of a typical Bollywood hero) misses the last seat on a flight. Now its not an emergency for him but he just wants to go. The lady at the counter points him to Aishwarya and tells him that she is the lady who took the last boarding pass. Now Abhishek cooks up some random story and convinces Aishwarya to relinquish her seat for him. After that I had a hearty laugh that only someone really stupid can relinquish his/her ticket like that. But I was not aware that destiny had planned to play an Abhishek Bachchan (though really genuine and not filmi at all!!) on me.
Today I, with a few others was scheduled to meet a prospective Microsoft Customer in Pune. And since it was adjoining a weekend I planned to stay back till Monday and take a flight back from Mumbai on Monday morning.
For my onward journey I was scheduled to fly with the Air Sahara flight at 8.50am - the only direct flight between Hyderabad and Pune. I had booked a cab to drop me at the airport and it was supposed to report to me at 7.00am in the morning. I dont know why but I felt that was kind of early. So in spite of getting up and being ready on time I called up the cab and said that it could pick me up half an hour later. On restrospection I just fail to understand why I made such a suicidal move.
Knowing the Cab providers for the last so many months I was not surprised when my sixth sense started warning me that I had done a grave mistake (an unpardonable offense) and I was some how sure that the cab would not report on time. 10 min later than the scheduled pick up time I got a call from the driver who (as usual) had searched the entire of Road No. 14 Banjara Hills except the place where it just starts (and where I stay). I had to actually walk out of the house and wait for him so that he found the place. Cumulating all delays I reached the airport with around 50 mins to go for the flight, where another rude shock was eagerly waiting for me.
On reaching the Air Sahara counter I was told that the counter for the Pune flight was closed (closed just 5 mins ago ... ya rrrrite). Since I had not arrived exactly 1 hour before the scheduled departure my tickect had been given away to a wait-listed traveller. I could think of no other way to reach Pune in time. I could imagine the reactions of my seniors when they would come to know about this mix-up. I could see my next review going really bad. Shockingly the guys at the Air Sahara counter were excessively rude, not at all ready to talk forget cooperating. For almost 5-10 mins I kept requesting them to please see if something could be done. And they wont budge. My pleading, requesting was tending towards begging now. But ... all in vain.
After 5-10 mins a guy reported to the counter and surprisingly he was also travelling to Pune. I dont know why but some how the Sahara guys were very very polite to this guy and were giving him his Boarding Pass for the same flight on which I was supposed to fly. He heard me request the guys desparately and suddenly asked me if I would like to fly on his seat. "I am travelling for pleasure. If it is no urgent for you go ahead and take my place. I can easily find another flight. But dude, remember that if you care for your job you ought to be punctual". I was spellbound. Out of words to thank him. All I could find out was that his name was Sanjay. Before I said anything he had already called up someone on his cell and conveyed that he needed a ticket and just walked out of the airport. Before that I was thinking that only stupid people would do such a thing, but for me he was none less than a Messiah who came out of nowhere and saved the day for me!
Till I reached Pune, I didn't even think about why the Air Sahara people gave a boarding pass to Sanjay who had also arrived late and refused the same for me. Well, probably he deserved it and I didn't.
Never mind, some hard lessons learnt today -
1. Air Sahara flights are way way way too over booked. So if you are thinking of reaching the airport an hour before the flight departure, reconsider your travel plans because if you are 5 mins late then be sure that some lucky wait-listed ruffian is off with your CONFIRMED booking. If you are sure of reach the airport an hour and a half in advance ... only then think of going.
2. If you see someone in trouble (something similar to what I was in) try your level best to help him/her out. You bet it requires a really HUGE heart to do so.
Often when you go to a temple and a child comes begging to you, somewhere at the back of your mind you do think that "does he really require the money I am going to give him or is it just a source of easy money for him". I am sure Sanjay too must have also thought twice before offering me his seat. But then he did give me the EASY seat and probably THAT was the difference between me and him ... the difference between a very very ordinary person and a Messiah!
