put me in a plane with a bunch of indians coming back from any of the asian countries and chances are i can tell you which community each one is from. if not his community, then i can tell you about his profession. and if i laid a wager with the chinese sitting beside me in each of these trips i would be richer by quite a few yuan! (no matter which flight you are on and in which part of the planet you will always find a chinese and an indian on the flight! check it out yourself!)1. the software sales executive is usually carrying a laptop and wearing worn jeans and a cool shirt.
2. the senior executive is always checking his blackberry and is usually wearing casual formals (or is it formal casuals?).
3. the punju trader from delhi is usually wearing a loud shirt, carrying on a louder conversation with his fellow-traveller and is guzzling whisky and water like its the last bottle on earth.
4. the gujju bhai is usually wearing a safari suit and is calling up his wife before they shut the door asking her to send the driver to pick him up and also asking her to cook some good dal khichdi and roti saag for dinner!
5. and if the flight is from some gulf nation and if there's a mallu lady on board, then she's usually wearing enough gold to cause some serious overloading on the flight. (they get away because the airlines haven't begun weighing the people yet!)
and the usual expats that you will find on the flights to india are :
1. the tourist on a budget trip and who looks and smells like he's just landed up on the flight straight from bed!
2. the ubiquitous old white man with a young oriental girl wearing a skimpy outfit. and no, thats definitely not his daughter! (i guess i'm just jealous.)
but the person who never fails to amuse me is the tam-brahm mama (an elderly tamil brahmin gentleman) who will board the flight wearing a full suit and tie and the works! but he's either going straight from the airport to his hotel or has just checked out of his hotel and is on his way
back home! (i think they do this because most of the tam movies in the 60s always showed the hero travelling by air in this fashion! but i might be way off the mark here. maybe one of you could enlighten me.)and each of the flights, i have taken, always has a professional rip-van-winkle who can sleep off the minute the wheels leave the tarmac and wake up just as the plane is touching down. and that is i :)
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19 comments:
clever observations indeed(though its more of a pain than a privilege to travel by air these days)
1.casual formals err actually contradictory!!!!
2.observations about gujus asking wife to send driver...bulls eye(had the same experience)
hi guru, don't know how you found me, but thought i'd let you know that i do enjoy your blog. you write well and thankfully are not politically correct or contrived :)
good one. i am another rip van winkle but I do wake up for the rfreshments- paisa vasool and all that
hee hee interesting observations :-D
hee hee interesting observations :-D
And either that 'the tourist on a budget trip' or 'the ubiquitous old white man' always sit next to me :-(
@ gazal : people actually call them 'casual formals', especially the friday dressing variety! :)
@anita : i don't know how i found you either! must be one of those freaky stunts of destiny :)
thanks for dropping in and do keep commenting!
@itw : i fully agree with the 'paisa vasool' bit! i too go off to sleep immediately after the meal :P
@shruti : :)
@stone : that's good friend murphy at work for you :)
Hi Guru, unrelated to the topic at hand but related to my post on Hybrid Synergy Drive (and your comment ---
http://www.orkut.com/AlbumList.aspx?uid=9873861012153592002
It might ask you to login, do share your thoughts
Sigh! Caught me... I'm the rip van winkle type:)
tagged
I wonder if u wud spot me, Iam tht moron in track pants and t shirts...great believer in comfort...i also end up reading every single material in the plane including the napkins...
hahahaha!
all true! i agree :-)
you see the lady who reads like mad, as if this is the only time she'll ever get...i'm her :D...I even read their instruction manuals...every time...
your observations are spot on ... i m also of the sleeping variety .. its bliss :)
your observations are spot on ... i m also of the sleeping variety .. its bliss :)
I'm new here.
Having said that it's a damn cool post! he heee
I liked ur take on Tam Brams and ur explanation for it.
*giggles*
great analysis....nxt time i am in flight...i`ll keep this in mind to check it oput......nice o0ne....:)
Liked this post..can relate to it so much...
Started doing this in my early travel days with hubby dear..its fun with someone with u
And both of us totally enjoy it..
When I am traveling alone..I make lot of observations...its fun..laugh to myself...and at the airport if I am on phone with husband...have lots to say...
What can u say abt ppl like us (Husband and I)...we call ourselves.."losers" ;-)
@ manasi : saw it. and now understood it. yes, it does make a lot of sense :)
@ ziah : welcome to the club. but pls don't disturb me unless its an emergency, or you've got some good food :)
@ swati : will chcek it out. :P
@ tys on ice : hehehe... i read the evacuation drill everytime... in english and in hindi :P
@ vinesh : :)
@ TA : same here. i also read all the in-flight shopping brochures. i can reel off so many perfume and watch brands that you would definitely be impressed :P
@ naveen : welcome to the gang, bro :)
@ preethi : thanks for dropping in :)
@ kp : i would recommend sleeping as a far better option. of course you could do this if you are someone who cannot sleep on flights :)
@ satyadarshini : i'm a certified loser too :)
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