Being a person who is well in time to catch buses, trains or flights, I reached the airport an hour earlier that day. There was nothing new or surprising about the announcement that the flight to Ahmedabad (which I was taking) was delayed by half an hour. With a resigned shrug, I pulled the book out. By the time the plane took off, an hour had elapsed.

A couple of days later, my flight from Ahmedabad to Delhi was again delayed. Unperturbed, I turned to my good companion – my book. I reached Delhi nearer midnight. The advantage of all that waiting was that I slept like a log. The next lap was from Delhi to Kathmandu. About a decade ago, I had spent a couple of weeks in Nepal. So I looked forward to seeing the snow-capped mountains and the green-clad slopes again. There was the expected announcement – an hour’s delay. By now, inured to delays, I turned to my book for solace.

Once we were air borne, a sense of anticipation filled me. I couldn’t wait to get my first glimpse of the majestic mountains. But the weather was unco-operative. The rain was coming down in sheets. The mountain tops seemed shrouded in mist, it did add a touch of ethereal  beauty and romance to the landscape.

After three very pleasant, if damp days in Kathmandu, it was time to return. Caught in a traffic jam, my friend and I made slow progress. After we had got through the exhausting hurdles of x-ray, check-in and security, we threaded our way through throngs of tourists, we were informed that there was a slight delay.

Delays are never slight and being subjected to numerous bag searches and passport inspections didn’t exactly expedite things. We finally boarded the aircraft and  sank into our seats. I had to take a connecting flight to Bangalore from Delhi. I had over an hour to claim my baggage and reach the domestic airport. Given the dismal record of our competitive airlines, I was certain I would make it. But in incredible India, the only flight I had hoped would be delayed, had taken off on time! I got a ticket on the next flight, two and a half hours later. That gave me enough time to finish my book uninterrupted, for that flight, true to reputation, was delayed  too!!