BOARDING PASS

A visit to Vizag was long in my mind. I happened to know incidentally about the Ramanarayanam temple at Viziyanagar also, which is about 60 KM from Vizag. This is a temple in the shape of a bow and arrow. The temple has the story of Ramayana depicted beautifully in picture form along the bow. Vishnu and Rama are the main deities of the temple. The temple will be illuminated in the evening. There is a huge 60 feet statue of Bhakta Hanuman on which 3D laser show would be displayed at 6 PM. I was fascinated by the details of the temple. When I found that the nearest airport to it is Vizag, I decided on a trip connecting Vizag and Viziyanagar.

I decided to take the flight from Bangalore where my daughter stayed. That would make it possible for me and my wife to attend the simple celebration at her home of our grandson’s birthday too. I did my reservations well in advance.  First, flight ticket from Banglalore to Vizag was done.  I did it on a flight expected to depart at 0905AM. That would reach us to Vizag by 1035 AM.  The travel takes one and a half hour. Thereafter I booked my ticket from Vizag to Viziyanagar by a train that would leave Vizag at 0135 PM. I considered that three hours were quite enough for us to come out of the airport comfortably, go to the railway station, have a bit rest and then lunch at the station before boarding the train. There was no need for hurrying. I wanted to reach the temple only by 4.00 PM. I had booked a room in a hotel at Viziyanagar too giving my check in at 3 PM approximately. The temple was about 8 km from Viziyanagar and I could make it to the temple in time to witness the illumination in the evening and also the laser show. I decided to re-visit the temple on the following morning too to have a sight of the whole temple premises. My train ticket back to Vizag was booked for the afternoon on the next day and a room for stay at Vizag for four days was also booked in advance.

On the day of departure to Vizag, I started at 6 AM as it would take about one hour for us to reach airport. One has to reach two hours in advance to the departure to meet with the clearance formalities at the airport. On the way I casually checked up my phone for any message. Repeated messages were there from the airlines to tell me that my flight to Vizag would be delayed by one and a half hour.

“What if we miss the train to Vizianagar from Vizag?”, queried my worried wife.

“If the flight can get delayed, so can the train too. If we miss the train, our program will all get overturned. Not worth going if we miss the illumination and the laser show at the temple. We will try to make it quick to the station after reaching Vizag. We may have to skip our lunch and rest. Then, we would still be able to make it.”, I consoled her.

Plenty time was now available at the airport. Even so, I decided to finish the required formalities early and wait leisurely for boarding. We did the self check in and obtained our boarding passes. Check-in baggage was handed over. As self check in was done, the boarding passes obtained were in thin sheets. I told my wife to be careful with her boarding pass and not to get it slipped off from her hand. She was about to put it in her hand bag when I cautioned that she would rather keep it  in her hand as it has to be produced for security check which we would go through now. As there was plenty time, she suggested that we would go to the rest rooms, have a wash and then proceed for the security check. I told her that we will finish the security clearance too and then we would be free for anything until the time for boarding comes. She agreed.

We proceeded for the security check. There was a long queue for the security check. We were to put our over coats (which we wore as it was cold in Bangalore in the early hours during those days), hand bags, belt, phone etc in a tray and get it passed through the x-ray machine. I cautioned my wife once again to keep the boarding pass carefully.

 “It is so thin. Don’t get it slipped off from your hand”, I warned.

The tray in which my wife put her coat and hand bag went through the machine. Mine too, which contained my coat, belt, phone and handbag went through. She then stood in the queue for ladies for personal security check and I stood in the queue for men.

As my turn came, I went and stood on the platform for the security check. I raised my hands, allowing the security officer to pass his hand machine all through my body. Without checking, he asked me first to give him my boarding pass. For the first time, I got the shock. I was cautioning my wife to hold it in hand where as I was not doing so. I checked in my pockets. No, it was not there. Where did I keep it? I didn’t remember. Did I keep it in the handbag that went through the machine? Unlikely. I was cautioning my wife also against keeping it in bag. It was to be kept in hand to produce at the time of security check.  May be it slipped off from my hand?  Possible.  By seeing my nervousness, the officer again asked to produce my boarding pass.  Awkwardly, I replied that it seemed to have been lost somewhere.

Curt was his answer, “Then go back and allow the next man in.”

I went back, but only to stand by the side of the queue looking for my fallen boarding pass. I became the attraction for people in the queue. I looked at every one’s feet and searched all over the floor. Another security officer standing there came to me and asked why I was standing like that. I replied that my boarding pass is lost somewhere.

“Sorry, we can’t allow you to board then”, he said.

“I have a printed copy of my ticket. Will I be able to get a duplicate boarding pass?’ I queried to him.

“You will have to ask at the airlines counter”, he replied.

“Clear off from this place for now, anyway. You can’t keep on standing here without a reason”, he commanded.

I looked for my wife at the other side of the security cordon. She was nowhere to be seen. I kept on standing there in spite of the commanding from the security officer. I had to tell my wife about my predicament and that she has to take custody of the tray in which my belongings were kept. It has already gone through the machine and was lying unattended by any one on a table on the other side of the security cordon. My cash, my phone and other valuables were in it. She has to take guard of all that till I come back with a duplicate boarding pass. As I kept on waiting, I found her coming out from the toilet. It was then that I realized why she preferred rest room before the security check.

I called to her at the top of my voice to catch her attention. The security officer was again on me. I told him that it was my wife and I wanted her to look after my belongings till I obtained a duplicate pass. I was not sure whether I will get a duplicate pass. But I had to make a try anyway. The security officer passed on my message to my wife through a staff. She came hurriedly and took custody of the tray in which lay my belongings. I thanked the airlines in my mind for being late by one and a half hour.

As I turned back and began to proceed to the airlines counter, I heard a commotion behind and the security officer was calling me back. Over the cordon, I found my wife waving my boarding pass to me. She came forward and gave it to the security officer doing men's check up and explained things to him.

I was now called for the personal check up.

As I proceeded with her to the boarding gate, I told her that I might have put it in my handbag for not letting it slip off from my hand. I had thought that she got it from my handbag.

“No. it was simply lying by itself open in the tray underneath your belongings”, she replied.

I thought on that. May be for removing the coat, belt and other things, I kept it inadvertently in the tray first to free my hands. Possible.

“you must be careful with your boarding pass”, It was her turn to say that.

At Vizag, fortunately, we were just in time to jump in to the train.

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