Waiting in the airport lounge.....my flight is scheduled one and half an hours later. It is too early to reach and check in,but I had to do this to beat the unexpected rain and rough wind in Bangalore. I have a paperback edition of a popular fiction,I have to kill some time with the help of this. Soon I lost interest as the cacophony around me became enough to break the concentration even for a yogi. I decided to close the book and have a look around.
This is not my first journey. I am visiting this lounge for the 14th time,to be very exact. I have noticed a particular trend here. The people who travel by air,always behave differently by the time they check in into the airport. Here I have seen people with imposed dignity on their facial expressions and attitude. Today there was no exception,either. Wherever I saw, precious dresses-clad figures were sat with a dignified expression. Stony faced,sometimes snobbish, holding news papers but not reading them. I tried to watch the ladies,but their expressions were even more indistinguishable......... self consciousness achieved such a height that it seemed a slight disturbance in their surroundings will do havoc on these people. I remembered about the masquerade party I visited once. The present situation seemed familiar to that. All are behind some sort of mask here,we can't see the real face - I had this feeling. I looked around for a slight change,in hope of seeing something a bit different. And then it caught my eyes. A kid was playing in a corner,whose mask was slipping away from time to time......
This kid,around the age of 6 or 7 was very busy with his new car. He tried his best to stay "Decent" as instructed by his mother. I could almost hear her low-pitched instructions from time to time,such as "Sit properly", or "Don't laugh out loud". The boy was enjoying being here tremendously,as well as his new toys. He tried to explore the shops and the decor when they arrived here,but soon gave up with the silent disapproval from his mother. He settled down with his parents and got engaged with his toys. I kept watching the boy,because I sensed something more amusing is going to happen.
A baby was fidgeting in her mother's lap,she didn't like the idea of sitting so long at one place. She stated yelling,so her mom had to carry her on her shoulder and stroll to comfort her. They stopped near this boy as the baby got interested in those shining toys. She stretched one of her tiny hands to grab one. The boy was delighted. He picked up one to give her,but stopped instantly when he saw the look on the face of his mom. He begged in low voice," Mamma,baby........" . I could hear the next instruction from his mom,in that same low,almost inaudible voice, "Put these back in the bag and sit straight. Next time if I see you to bring those out.........." It seemed a bulb fused suddenly,the boy's face became dim at once. He followed the order,making a sullen face. Thank god,the baby's mother didn't realize all these,she was busy comforting her disappointed daughter. Oops,I thought!
But the intrusion in this stony silence was not far behind. A sparrow came jumping around us. It was carrying a long thread tied to its leg. Somebody dropped biscuit-crumbs,the sparrow started picking at those busily. Then it jumped forward and started looking at the boy with curiousity. From its expression it was clear that it's not afraid from people. The boy's face lit up. He tried to get up and go towards the sparrow,but an iron hand gripped him from the back. The same inaudible voice was so cold in fury at this time that I shivered. "What do you think you are doing"?
"Mamma, sparrow.......can I have a look"?
"Are you seeing it for the first time"?
"No mamma,but can I............"
"Sit quietly or you are going to stay here alone,we will get into the plane without you." Then she used a word to describe his behavior which stunned me like anything. Such a word from a lady like her was totally unexpected. I realized that all the vanity,dignity,the get-up.....all these are a situational mask. Her words showed me what she is actually. I could not see the end of this drama as I had to queue up for boarding. But one thing became clear to me,at this point. If you want to wear a mask,wear it properly. If sealing all the loopholes is not possible,then stay original. That at least saves your nose.
