JOIN USInside Delhi’s domestic airport, I was watching him with some detached interest. People milling around did throw fleeting glances at him but were largely unconcerned. In a place thronging with all sorts of people he was just one in the crowd.
Failing to zero in on a befitting term to describe him, I prefer to use the generous generic epithet used for ascetics – a godman. He was in spotless white flowing robes. It was difficult to guess his age – it could be anywhere between 40 and 60. He was tall, tending to plumpness. With long black hair combed back neatly, the vermillion mark on his broad forehead put him in a class of his own.
As the Delhi-Lucknow counter opened, I joined the tail end of the queue to collect my boarding pass. The godman too came along and stood behind me to take his turn. While I requested for an aisle seat, I heard him asking for a window seat. At the security check, I saw him passing through the normal procedure, though perhaps the frisking was a bit perfunctory.
Inside the plane both of us were on the same row. He politely declined toffees and later tea when offered by the air-hostess. The only little talk I had with him was when I suggested that he could keep his bag on the vacant seat between us. But he continued to nurse that on his lap and thanked me in some hardly audible monosyllabic words.
When the plane landed at Lucknow, a few VIPs sitting close to the exit were the first to disembark. They were whisked away in the cars waiting on the tarmac. Others came out slowly and trudged to the arrival lounge not far way. There it was amazing to see a large gathering of people with bouquets and garlands in their hands.
Then to my surprise, I found all eyes rivetted on the godman who was trailing me. With wild cries of joy, people rushed towards him. Many fell at his feet and vied with another to get closer. Children were lifted up on the shoulders to have a glimpse of the godman. Women, young and old, coyly stood with palms joined in reverence.
In the melee, I too struggled. Deftly pulling a chair, I stood precariously on that to have a darshan of the man who had come with me from Delhi.