Mission Accomplished: How I Landed In Kolkata Amid Unlock 2.0
- by Rai Sarkar
- 2 years ago
- 124

It was no less than a mission. My journey story to
Kolkata from Delhi amid unlock 2.0 calls for a recap. Overcoming my month-long dilemma, I managed to book a ticket to Kolkata for July 5.
Traveling in times of a global pandemic needs
to be well-planned. Two days into my ticket-booking, Mamata-government wrote to
the Centre asking to stop flights and trains from high-COVID cities to Bengal.
No wonder, Delhi was one of them.
There began my worries. How long will the Centre take to revert? What if it
nods to the Bengal government's proposal? What if my flight gets cancelled? A
bunch of questions kept going through my mind. I gained confidence and
succeeded in convincing myself. My flight was scheduled at 6 am, hence, I
decided to reach the airport the previous night (July 4).
With the DGCA issuing a host of guidelines for air travel, my next task was
akin to a school student preparing for her final exams. The tension of flight
cancellation, fear of getting infected at the airport, the excitement of the
first flight in a post-COVID era, the joy of meeting family - all clustered my mind
at one go.
As I went through an elaborate session of assembling and packing on my day off,
all I could think about was, what if the Centre comes up with an unfavorable
decision. By then, I was already dreaming of my 'City of Joy', places to visit,
things to shop, and people to meet after my 14-day home-quarantine.
Also Read: 5 Mood-Boosting Foods In Diet During Covid-19 Crisis
Following frequent calls from my panic-stricken parents who insisted on taking
extra precautionary measures while travelling, I stepped out on my equipment
gathering task. I bought myself a bottle of sanitizer with high alcohol
content, gloves, and an expensive mask to avoid being questioned at any given
point.
With lockdown having lifted, flight operations were running smoothly. Yet, I
was restless thinking of the prolonged travel, more so, on the Bengal
government's move of banning flights.
On July 4, a day ahead of my journey, I took print outs of my baggage tags,
downloaded Arogya Setu app, and got the boarding pass on my mobile phone. I was
all set, the 1700-odd kilometers between Kolkata and me didn't seem that much.
In the afternoon, not much to my surprise, Kolkata airport took to Twitter and
announced that domestic flights from six cities including Delhi, Pune, Nagpur,
Chennai, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad will not be allowed to arrive at Kolkata airport
for the next two weeks starting July 6.
I read the tweet again. July 6, right? I asked myself, realizing that I dodged
the evil just by a day. I would probably be able to reach Kolkata in the nick
of time. Soon, I started receiving calls from my parents and other family
members. My message box only had texts confirming my journey date. I was saved.
As the hour of my journey to the airport arrived, as planned, I called a cab
and set off for the real task - mission Delhi to Kolkata. Impressively, the driver
had a transparent protective shield all around his seat. I got into the cab and
suddenly I started getting flashes of memories in Delhi. Knowing my journey to
Kolkata this time is probably for an indefinite period, I already started
to miss Delhi, my workplace. The Chinese joint in my locality, sleepovers with
friends, and the familiar rickshaw puller at the stand - my bonding with Delhi
is more like an acquired taste.
My nostalgia was interrupted when the cab was suddenly pulled over. I
had reached the airport. A quick glance at my watch, it showed 11:30
and off I went. Armed with a mask and gloves, I proceeded towards the entry
gate and sanitized my trolley and bag-pack before walking-in. Entering the
terminal, I figured that the check-in procedure for my flight would take at
least 2 hours more. No luck to get hold of a recliner for the night. Grabbing a
chair and resorting to Netflix seemed to be the only option.
I strolled to an eating joint at the airport and grabbed a box of snacks. With
no strict checking and no need for an arogyasetu app, the scene at the airport
was similar to that of a railway station. While some were sitting on the floor,
many of the travellers were fast asleep.
After check-in and security check, to my surprise, I managed a recliner close
to my boarding gate. It was pouring heavily. Delhi perhaps was smelling the
season's monsoon after a long due. The showers were bidding me goodbye. My eyes
couldn't take it any further. With the chilled air conditioning on, I could
only manage a few distracted naps.
My phone's alarm struck at 5 am. I pulled myself up from the recliner and
walked towards the boarding gate. A queue was already formed with a few
chirping in my native language. Ah! I'm almost through. I already feel home. I
was allotted a window seat, therefore, no protective apron. The middle-seat
passengers were made to wear an apron, in addition.
Cladded in mask, gloves and an added face shield by the airline, there I go, I
was boarding my flight to Kolkata. I was overwhelmed. The mission was to end in
another two hours. At 8:15 am on July 5, I landed in my city - my very own
Kolkata.
The journey that had appeared like a high-level mission, ended up being a
fairly decent one. And before I could know it, I was gearing up for work - work
from 'actual' home.