| It was a summer afternoon in 1992. I was on an | | | | regular check, please don't get panicky. I can assure |
| Indian Airlines flight in the western part of the | | | | you that there is no such thing on board and it is a |
| country, when I felt that I was no more. The | | | | hoax call only. Thank you." |
| agonizing 5-7 minutes still terrifies me whenever I | | | | The moment, the announcement was complete, a |
| look back. | | | | terrifying fear gripped my senses. It could have been |
| Marketing as a profession needs quite a bit of | | | | at any time- oh! What a situation! You could not do a |
| traveling. I was based in Calcutta, the Eastern part of | | | | thing but pray to God that it did not happen at all. I |
| the country. I was asked by my senior officer to | | | | thought about my little children and tried to distract |
| accompany him while he was to visit a manufacturing | | | | myself from the imagination of oncoming eventuality |
| facility in Baroda, situated at the extreme western | | | | and of course, I prayed to my God for saving us |
| part of the country. | | | | from this situation. I looked out from the window and |
| We took a morning flight from Calcutta at 6 A.M. in | | | | found that the airplane was moving at the slowest |
| the morning and touched Bombay (Mumbai, western | | | | speed! Looking inside, I saw my senior colleague |
| India) at around 9.30 A.M. We were booked to a | | | | sitting in his seat with eyes closed. Most of my |
| connecting flight to Baroda (Vadodara) to leave at | | | | co-passengers had their eyes shut. The fair looking air |
| 3.30 P.M. the same day. We finished our lunch at the | | | | hostess was in her seat in front of us with a blotted |
| airport and passed a tension free time during the | | | | out face as if the entire blood has been withdrawn |
| free time. | | | | from her body. There was real pin drop silence |
| We passed the security check in time and boarded | | | | except the low droning sound of the aircraft engine. |
| the flight, which was a 30- 40 minutes flight .I took | | | | I could see the runway approaching but very slowly |
| the window seat and my senior took the aisle seat. | | | | once again. The inner feeling was that it could happen |
| The plane took off nicely and smoothly. I watched | | | | at anytime, no? How could it be possible? The |
| out of my window as we were going over the | | | | questions and answers crossed my mind many times |
| Arabian Sea and would continue to do so before we | | | | and I was helpless and resorted to praying to my |
| took a right turn to Baroda. | | | | GOD. |
| Suddenly I found that the droning sound of the | | | | Amidst this kind of mixed feeling, we touched the |
| engine was unusually low and thought that the pilot | | | | runway and a few minutes later disembarked from |
| must have found technical reasons to use only one | | | | the plane and the first thing I did was to thank my |
| engine. Then there was the announcement from the | | | | God profoundly with full reverence. |
| pilot in the public address system. His words were," | | | | A few hours later we were sitting at the departure |
| Ladies and gentlemen, I am your captain of this fight. | | | | lounge of the airport for a special flight to Baroda in |
| We have been informed by the control that there is | | | | the same evening. |
| a bomb on board. We are returning to Bombay for a | | | | |