Ever had one of those Eureka moments? The scene is the arrival terminal of Bbay's own Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The word 'International' in the name would tip one of the cross-border nature of flights emanating and landing at the airport, stating the obvious aren't we? Of course, the fact the domestic airport is also called the very same thing makes things interesting for the newbies in the city. Anyway, we were talking about the arrival terminal 2C identified by the presence of the not-so-alert security with the not-so-gleaming carbines held at jaunty angles that suggest they're not-quite-ready to have their safeties off in a flash. Also part of the scene are some chairs for the benefit of the reception parties, three refreshment stands and yes, a huge plasma screen tacked on the wall right next to the doorway through which emerge the newest immigrants. The board above the screen helpfully reads 'Arriving Passenger'. The use of the singular has the effect of a spotlight on the weary traveller emerging from the concourse.
So, everyone's gazing at the screen trying to identify 'their' own and give themselves time for get excited to the point of delirium. Not actually having looked directly at the screen, I thought it was a nice quaint system in place. Then with time on my hands and nothing to do(you can only read the print on a Coke can so many times and have so many chicken puffs), I decided to try to figure out how far back the cameras had been mounted by gauging the time it took for one to appear on screen to actually emerge in the flesh. Identifying a few distinct shapes on screen (not what you're thinking, more like a bright orange/pink shirt), I waited expectantly for them to appear...and...nothing. Maybe i missed them. Repeated process for another set of viewables (this time zeroing in on a caucasian family with the head of the household sporting a beard to make any of our 'holy' men envious)...and again...nothing. Just when you start to wonder whether the people actually coming out had done my 'subjects' in and whether there was something dastardly in progress, it strikes you...the camera is not trained on terminal 2C but on the other arrival terminal, 2A! Just imagine the sick mind that could come up with that...
So, everyone's gazing at the screen trying to identify 'their' own and give themselves time for get excited to the point of delirium. Not actually having looked directly at the screen, I thought it was a nice quaint system in place. Then with time on my hands and nothing to do(you can only read the print on a Coke can so many times and have so many chicken puffs), I decided to try to figure out how far back the cameras had been mounted by gauging the time it took for one to appear on screen to actually emerge in the flesh. Identifying a few distinct shapes on screen (not what you're thinking, more like a bright orange/pink shirt), I waited expectantly for them to appear...and...nothing. Maybe i missed them. Repeated process for another set of viewables (this time zeroing in on a caucasian family with the head of the household sporting a beard to make any of our 'holy' men envious)...and again...nothing. Just when you start to wonder whether the people actually coming out had done my 'subjects' in and whether there was something dastardly in progress, it strikes you...the camera is not trained on terminal 2C but on the other arrival terminal, 2A! Just imagine the sick mind that could come up with that...
2 comments:
how do you find yourself able to write about stuff like this?
come back...
Post a Comment