<p class="bodytext">Kamala and I were off on a holiday – finally! We had planned for months, researched alternatives and booked our modest hotel close to the temple. Our bags were packed with warm clothing and snacks for the times when we felt homesick. We had chosen seats with more leg space and booked a comfortable cab to the airport. We had a contact person who would help us to reach the sanctum sanctorum without long queues. Now all we needed to do was get on the plane and begin our adventure.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Our adventure began a little earlier than planned. At the airport we noticed a buzz of angry people in clusters everywhere. All appeared suspiciously calm at the check-in counter, and our bags looked helplessly back at us as they were loaded and disappeared from view. We were all set for Varanasi, and we took an airport selfie. I sent the photo with my customary 'good morning gyan' to the family WhatsApp group – failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Nothing had prepared us for what was about to happen. </p>.2026 could be your year of travel: Turn long weekends into mini-vacations.<p class="bodytext">The newspapers were still reporting Putin’s visit and the falling rupee as we settled down near our departure gate. Since we had decided to minimise the use of social media on this trip, we were blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around us. We glanced up at someone shouting at a counter and smiled indulgently, “These people should choose their airline carefully because ‘Being On Time is A Wonderful Thing’.” The first sign of real trouble was a suspicious two-hour delay and a complete absence of staff at the counter. One unfortunate young man did gather the courage to appear and was promptly surrounded by angry uncles and aunties insisting that they be heard. The pitch of the voices and the volume of the anger escalated to parliamentary levels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Within a few hours the airport filled up with crowds of helpless, harassed travellers that poignantly resembled scenes of migrant workers returning home during the pandemic. We opened up our snacks and found that demand far exceeded supply in a hungry, angry airport. Finally a cancellation was announced, and another long, arduous wait began for our bags. As I sat in the cab headed home after 18 hours of waiting for Indigo, I realised that one could plan a divine destination and yet be firmly grounded. </p>
<p class="bodytext">Kamala and I were off on a holiday – finally! We had planned for months, researched alternatives and booked our modest hotel close to the temple. Our bags were packed with warm clothing and snacks for the times when we felt homesick. We had chosen seats with more leg space and booked a comfortable cab to the airport. We had a contact person who would help us to reach the sanctum sanctorum without long queues. Now all we needed to do was get on the plane and begin our adventure.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Our adventure began a little earlier than planned. At the airport we noticed a buzz of angry people in clusters everywhere. All appeared suspiciously calm at the check-in counter, and our bags looked helplessly back at us as they were loaded and disappeared from view. We were all set for Varanasi, and we took an airport selfie. I sent the photo with my customary 'good morning gyan' to the family WhatsApp group – failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Nothing had prepared us for what was about to happen. </p>.2026 could be your year of travel: Turn long weekends into mini-vacations.<p class="bodytext">The newspapers were still reporting Putin’s visit and the falling rupee as we settled down near our departure gate. Since we had decided to minimise the use of social media on this trip, we were blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around us. We glanced up at someone shouting at a counter and smiled indulgently, “These people should choose their airline carefully because ‘Being On Time is A Wonderful Thing’.” The first sign of real trouble was a suspicious two-hour delay and a complete absence of staff at the counter. One unfortunate young man did gather the courage to appear and was promptly surrounded by angry uncles and aunties insisting that they be heard. The pitch of the voices and the volume of the anger escalated to parliamentary levels.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Within a few hours the airport filled up with crowds of helpless, harassed travellers that poignantly resembled scenes of migrant workers returning home during the pandemic. We opened up our snacks and found that demand far exceeded supply in a hungry, angry airport. Finally a cancellation was announced, and another long, arduous wait began for our bags. As I sat in the cab headed home after 18 hours of waiting for Indigo, I realised that one could plan a divine destination and yet be firmly grounded. </p>
