Dolly Koghar laments that changes, though necessary, wreak havoc on her aged and easily-distracted grey matter!
Although I swear I didn’t shop, our luggage was slightly overweight, but luckily, the Thai Airways check-in lady graciously disregarded it; perhaps due to my exaggeratedly-aged look – draped in a shawl, and slumped in the wheelchair pushed by a porter. Although hubby dear still insists on trudging on his own two spindles, I now opt for this service, as it avails us of fast-tracks lanes and also means help with the luggage. But more and above, although the transformation is truly incredible at the new terminals in both Bangalore or our very own Suvarnabhumi International Airport, ports we’ve flown in and out of more times than we can count; bigger and better translates as confusing to our ageing grey cells. And my poor, tired legs rebel at having to navigate through the maze-like miles and miles of these super-expanded new terminals.
Don Mueang International Airport, from where I left to settle in Japan in ’69, was a homey, cosy airport, and the Kempe Gowda International Airport when we shifted to Bengaluru in ‘95 was literally a small hut. Flights were so few and far between that a podium sufficed for international check-ins or check-outs, and the immigration officers flicked through passports, clueless about what they were looking for or at. But today, entering the new Terminal 2 is like being transported into the Amazon wetlands. There’s lush greenery, and endless local varieties of flora and fauna in whichever direction; comprising the ceiling-high walls, and dangling from the infinitely-high roofing in clusters incorporated into artistically weaved, ecofriendly wickers. There’s waterfalls and koi fish ponds; fascinating cultural and artistic backdrops here, there, and everywhere, providing endless selfie opportunities. Granite, South India’s local stone, lines the floors and walls, and is also the material of the oh-so-many intermittent resting spots, which aren’t just boring stone benches and ledges, but interestingly amalgamated with foliage!
Relieved of baggage, hubby dear spied Chaayos, the perfect brewed-to-your-taste tea we discovered on this trip. The garma-garam (very hot) chai was so good and the airport so impressive that hubby dear succumbed to a selfie urge, which looking the way we did at this hour near midnight, I resolutely refused. After which, we continued nibbling on Britannia 50-50 and Marie digestives with our cuppa, totally oblivious to the distance yet awaiting us to our gate, including up and down elevator rides till immigration and then on to security, where you are stripped down to almost kachee/banaen (undies), which is understandably exceptionally vigilant here in India. My reverie was broken by a young man in his 30s asking me where we were headed in perfect Hindi, which still surprises me, since back in the 90s nobody here spoke it! Immediately, hubby dear, a foodie Punju, offered him a biscuit, and reverted to being immersed in the d*mn phone! After which, maybe to spite him, I did something more his niche but totally out of my character: picking up a convo with a random stranger. It turned out that he was headed home in West Bengal for a threemonth hiatus from his job as the Indian-Chinese chef at a famous fast-food eatery, with two other cooks dishing out the North and South Indian specialties. On the spur of the moment, I asked him for a chilli paneer recipe, which he readily shared, so I got braver and requested for paneer tikka. Then I wondered aloud why their ‘flied lice’, is so different from our khao phad. What I learnt in those few minutes, made me realise that the culinary arts are truly a science; what makes fast food yummy are the hidden ingredients that are not only undetectable, but unimaginable. Sadly, the session came to an abrupt end, when the porter nudged us back to reality, but abiding by the rule of not taking anything for free, I suggested he invest his vacation time into adding Thai food to his cooking repertoire and demand a salary hike on his return. So, be it the changes in the name of improvement and advancement like in the airports or the shocking stuff that gets added to our food, there’s still so much more to learn and discover, even at my age!
