Bangkok Calling (dedicated to my dadi)

Finally term was coming to an end and winter break was nearing. Ma-Pa had called me up on a Sunday (phone calls from home were allowed only on 2nd and 4th Sundays) before the winter break to tell me that I will be going home to them since my passport was ready and that dadi (Grandma) will come along. Because of which instead of taking flight directly from Delhi, I had to first go to Madhubani. So kaka (from now on I will use "kaka" for my uncle since that's what I call him) took me to Madhubani and from there one of Papa's childhood friend took me and dadi to Kolkata for taking the flight.

At the airport I was all on my own, ofcourse dadi was there but instead of she taking care of me (like always), this time it was the other way round.

Hmm..so I went to the nearest check in counter and showed the pretty ground staff our tickets and passport and she in turn gave me two forms to fill. Now, how exactly do I fill the form, I had no clue. My mind started running on how to get help and then I remembered that uncle who had come to drop me had said that he won't leave till our take-off, so I thought "problem solved". But there was a hurdle, leaving dadi alone inside was a problem, so I went and told her that I will go out for some paper work. My strict instruction to her was, "please do not sit on the floor here, there are chairs and dont worry". With this I went on the mission. Now usually in airports (esp. international) , once you are in, they don't allow people go out but this being Kolkata airport in 1996, I didn't face any problem in doing so. So I got my forms filled and also got to know that only if I had known that all the information was there in my hand itself (passport), I would have been saved the trouble. Anyway, I got in and what do I see, dadi sitting on the floor just as I had feared and talking loudly to herself in Maithily (my language). What she was saying, I will translate for you in English: "Oh! God, where did this girl disappear, I had asked my son not to let me come alone with her but he didn't listen. Now she has left me here, what do I do, where do I go". Now imagine my state of mind on seeing this, I was embarrasses plus angry. I rushed to her to tell that I hadn't abandoned her at the airport and that we would reach safely (even though I doubted this myself). Luckily for me, some staff had heard dadi and came to help us since he too was a maithil. So journey up to boarding the flight was taken care of. In the flight, we again got forms and this time I knew all the answers :D, the only problem was that I didn't have a pen. On getting to know this dadi again started "Oh! God, she doesn't know anything and I have been left at her mercy". I on the other hand wasn't giving a very comforting look either since I myself was all freaked out. Anyway I managed a pen, flight landed, we got off and with the same tension, managed to get out of the airport. There outside stoop Papa with a camera in hand, Maa and the cutest and loveliest thing of my life, my little bro Rishi. I was meeting all of them after over a year. Papa recorded almost the entire first day of me in Bangkok starting from walking out of the airport. It was one of the sweetest things but this video has become something of a trouble for me. Reason being that I was looking horrible thanks to being in hostel and my self judgement of what was good :D. Maa and Rishi never miss out an opportunity to laugh thinking of the condition I was in. Even now when Thailand talks start, I know it will come up and my best reaction is to slip out before the talk moves in my direction and since bhai knows this too well, he makes sure it comes up before I do that :D.

Note 1: From the above post you might think that my Dadi was a pretty weird lady. But that is really not the case. She is an extremely sweet, smart and perfect lady who loves me a looooot. I think the unknown place and she being left onto the mercy of her 9 year old grand daughter got on to her :D.

Note 2:While writing this post, I saw the video again. It's actually weird :D. Had it been someone else's I too wouldn't have missed out on an opportunity to get a good laugh :D.