No, this is not a philosophical blabber about how to take off on a stellar career path. One, I am yet to experience it myself; and two, I believe it is a topic best left to Jack Welch’s and Robin Sharma’s of this world.This blog entry is about my experience at the domestic airports in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, since I have been travelling around over the past three weeks. I am not a compulsive reader so I like to observe and absorb surroundings around me when I am sitting idle, or cogitating about something, or just am too tired to do anything else – which is of often the case just before my flight back home, late in the evenings, after a day full of meetings.
In terms of airport terminal quality, I must say that nothing beats Delhi’s “1D Terminal.” It has several coffee shops, a cool new bookstand, and plenty of seating capacity; it easily compares with any airport terminal abroad. Though Mumbai terminal has fewer vendors and coffee shops, it is huge, with plenty of comfortable seating. Kolkata terminal is a traveller’s nightmare – not enough seating, often no air-conditioning, one single vendor selling stale sandwiches, and queues all over (even in the washrooms!).
I especially enjoy those few minutes between security checks and boarding the aircraft. I routinely witness three distinct categories of people in those often crammed up waiting areas (if you do not know what “crammed-up” means you need to see the scenario at the Kolkata airport, where there are a zillion people fighting for those 50 odd seats in the waiting area):
- corporate executives (just like myself) who are tired after a day full of meetings; and eager to get back home. This “species” often spends their time at the airport either checking e-mails, catching up with the pending work, making a list of To-Dos from the meetings just concluded, or “pretending” to read a book or something else. These folks are easy to identify – dark color suits with ties often hanging loose around their neck, and a laptop bag in their hand. They are often seen working at the airports or struggling to find power points to charge their laptops so that they can work on the plane journey back home. They work through their plane journey or catch up on sleep and often have a cab driver waiting at the reception area with their name plate in hand.
- businessmen back from a full day of commercial dealings. Not often dressed up in formals (like the executives), this species is often found talking loudly on their cellphones, and more often “pulling up” their staff back home or talking to their spouses instructing the exact time when the pick-up car should be despatched for the airport. These folks are often the last ones to switch-off their cellphones while seated in the planes – and the last call invariably is to someone back home (or in their office) letting them know the exact take-off time (very annoying for co-passengers!). These are strangely also the folks who will invariably get out of their seats before the plane halts at the home airport, and will immediately switch on their cellphones and ensure that their car is waiting for them outside!
- families travelling after a long trip to another city and fully prepared for the journey (as if it were a multi-week adventure trip to Siberia!), often carrying several handbags with all kinds of stuff. They (mostly kids) will invariably buy stuff to eat from the “crappy” eateries in the waiting area; will have a zillion bags to check-in; and are most eager to board. I often see them waiting for their luggage as I walk out of the airport at the destination terminals.
I find it fairly interesting (and entertaining) to just look around and observe people while waiting to security-check-in or board the plane; much recommended over reading a best seller!
