Ananya S Guha recounts an experience on board Air India flight
I CAN never forget Captain Siddiqui. We were travelling to Guwahati from Calcutta by an Indian Airlines flight in the 1990s. The journey was onerous as my brother and I were bringing our aged and ailing mother to Shillong after she had gone to Calcutta to take a respite from Shillong’s winter.
The flight was an early morning one, sometime at 5:30. Perhaps it was a mistake to bring an aged lady so early, but we thought if everything went well we would reach Shillong in the morning, and she would have an entire day to rest. In the airport we were told everything was fine, the flight was on time with immaculate precision! I thought well it was worth it, we had to be ready by 3am! A lady hustled us to the check-in counter with a kind of flurry, which made one imagine she was the pilot. Good for IA and us, I thought, for once it was going to be on time.
We took our rightful places in the gawky airbus 300. Mother seemed to be fine. We brothers were relieved. A pin-drop silence descended; for half an hour nothing happened. Then came a booming voice: “I am Captain Siddiqui, the captain of the flight speaking. I regret to announce that due to a technical snag the flight will be delayed.”
By now I knew that ” technical snag” could mean anything from the captain not wanting to fly to bad weather or worse still, due to some engine failure.
After 15 minutes the booming voice with impeccable English came again: “As a captain I do at times have to take care of administrative hurdles.” Good, captain, I pondered, you should have been a broadcaster!
The aircraft took off without further ado and murmur. Just as the descent to Guwahati started, say after 30 minutes of the craft being airborne, the irrepressible captain came on board again: “Those who are sitting on the left will notice very dark clouds.” Yes, I was sitting on the left and I did notice them! My brother and I exchanged telepathic glances. “Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to say that due to very inclement weather in Guwahati, we are returning to Calcutta.”
In Calcutta rumours were rife. Some said that it was the captain’s son’s birthday, some – the fatalists – averred that his wife was seriously ill! But don’t worry, they assured, the flight will certainly take off for Guwahati.
Two hours later it did. Again the same rigmarole, toffees were offered by apologetic air hostesses. One cynic said: “Give them to Captain Siddiqui with my compliments.”
After 15 minutes of take-off, Captain Siddiqui with his booming and sonorous voice said: “Ladies and gentlemen, you might have been told that I have done all this on purpose. As a captain with over 20 years of service I remain committed to my duties. I apologize for all the inconvenience.”
I looked heavenwards, being quite close to it and muttered silently: ‘”Oh Captain My Captain!”
Surely, “our fearful trip” was done!