Flight journeys are not for the squeamish...for the faint-hearted I mean. The human mind may soar, but the human body is intrinsically, firmly anchored to the earth. Little wonder, air travel is somehow not natural. There is an element of the bravado in it, almost like bungee-jumping!
Let's face it- we all go through it. Our denial is not going to change the fact about Air Travel. It is just not as easy as stepping inside a train compartment. We naturally relax into the environs of the train- slip our suitcases below the berth, kick-off the footwear in a hurry, change into some relaxed pajamas and have the liberty to stretch our legs in full or sit cross-legged or even do a head-stand if we chose to! The ease, the freedom and the informality of it all!
Let's face it- we all go through it. Our denial is not going to change the fact about Air Travel. It is just not as easy as stepping inside a train compartment. We naturally relax into the environs of the train- slip our suitcases below the berth, kick-off the footwear in a hurry, change into some relaxed pajamas and have the liberty to stretch our legs in full or sit cross-legged or even do a head-stand if we chose to! The ease, the freedom and the informality of it all!
Air Travel presents a contrasting picture of sorts. It's a tight-fit from the moment you step in- like squeezing yourself in a size-0 skinny-pair of jeans, when you actually belong to a commodious extra-large and beyond!
The seat is compact and so is everything else. A single posture into which you compress your whole frame and have to hold it for 16 hours flat! Every movement has to be measured. One careless move and you would have jabbed your neighbor’s sides with your elbow or knocked his spectacles off...when you tried to stretch your arms. When food is served, it needs a different skill altogether- the table is miniscule, the items many and space at an absolute premium. It's like a Mumbai chawl. Elbows tucked to the body, you nibble at it- as a squirrel would. Attention has to be full and complete- else, you could topple and bring down the entire food-pyramid topped with a coffee-cup....and watch it helplessly run down your trousers, your neighbors and into the aisle! At the end of the journey, there is confirmation that you can successfully do another job- the job of a contortionist!
Part of the problem of Air-Travel is the fear-factor. Already the mode of travel is unnatural. The exaggerated safety-instructions kick off a few more butterflies in the belly! The seat has to be upright, the waist-belt fastened and the mobile switched off. The cabin lights have to be dimmed and windows open in full. It's as if...if we got even one of these things wrong, the plane wouldn't take-off....or worse...leave it! It needs just one non-compliant person to forget to switch off his mobile- it could completely upset this delicate apple-cart!
If we watch the safety drill, it's as if anything and everything could happen. Forewarned is forearmed one might say....but the safety-information lets our imagination run riot! Oxygen masks could rain down, the plane could land in water, you may have to bob around in the middle of the ocean on a floatation-device (which is of course placed under the seat)..... and sometimes, use an enormous slide to slip out of the plane in a tearing hurry!
"Sir, are you ok sitting at the emergency-exit seat?" asks a polite airhostess. Ruffled as we already are, it's tough to give a cogent answer. Our gut-reaction is often, "Madam, am I at a greater risk in sitting here? Would I need to hold the door-shut if it were to accidentally open in mid-air? Is there any such possibility...and if there is, I am out of here...for sure!" Unfortunately, there is no exit-strategy, strapped as we are, to our safety-belt. We mumble a quick yes...and resign ourselves to fate and a few prayers!
But once you are 20000 feet in the air, you're not edgy anymore. The jangled nerves relax, the seat-belt sign is off and life is balmy once more! The dazzle of the sunshine, the ink-blue sky...and occasional wispy, cotton-like clouds floating by- air-travel has its unique window-shows!
You've eaten the choicest of chocolates of the world. It doesn't matter. When the airhostess gets the tray with the toffees.... all nicely arranged....and lights up the display with a brilliant smile, it's a different feeling altogether. It's suddenly tough to make a selection of one or two. There is an irresistible urge to reach for the candies by the fistful...or taking possession of the entire tray!
You hear the swish of the coke-cans being opened, the orange-juice poured out, the aroma of fresh coffee and an occasional "Tomato-Juice, no ice please!"
The background sound fades away to the crisp voice of the pilot from the cockpit. "We've begun our descent...." He ends his short speech with elan. "As part of the crew, we thank you for flying our airlines. We wish you the very best in your journey ahead!" Such elegance, such poise! Surely, train-travel cannot match this sophistication by a distance!
As the plane prepares for the final-landing, I can see my neighbor scrutinizing my features- my knuckles going white, my clenched jaw. "Relax...relax!! I told you Air Travel is the safest means of transport! Haven't you seen the numbers? Getting knocked down when you are walking on the footpath has a higher probability!" The argument is compelling. I relaxed till he threw in the rider. "But yes, I do agree. It's a boolean!" "What do you mean...it is a boolean?" I shot back. "Well....it means the answer is 1...and sometimes, a 0...but never in-between!" he trailed away...before breaking into a fit of wicked laughter!
