LOVE AT THE FIRST FLIGHT…………………………………………………Upon trying to enter the newly paved drive way of the under construction premises, you
will be stopped by the guard at the gate and asked,’kidhar jaayengay?’ Before your driver or you have a chance to answer, he will continue,’Jaipur? Delhi? Ahmedabad? Calcutta?’ depending on whatever is the destination of the outgoing flight! Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Surat airport- your gateway to air connectivity. As you wade in, the two and at present only standing structures that meet the eye are the control tower and the terminal. Ample and organized parking space is available surrounded by yet to be developed barren land. With few flights functioning as of yet, most visitors hang around here for either receiving or seeing off relatives due to lack of public transport. Enter the canopy like entrance and you will hear lilting shenaii music to mark the auspicious occasion of the commencement of your journey……
Once you have scanned your luggage [hurrah! we have a proper detector now] you will get checked in within the next 10 minutes thanks to cordial and efficient staff. You are now ready to either wait in the cool, clean lounge [no refreshment counter or bookstore yet] or take the mini bus trip to your airplane. As is the case with most of our domestic airports, you board the flight through the ramp. Cross your heart for the trip ahead, most of the flights have locally trained and helpful staff. Food on board may not be exactly ‘smorgasbord’ but is arranged from the flight kitchen of your destination in case you feel like a bite during the short flight. You are now ready to zoom off the fresh tarmac while the pilots wait for the signal that no ball, bird or buffalo will hinder the take off……Au revoir!……….
If you happen to travel within the U.S. of A, the view from an aircraft is mostly that of concrete jungles, Dubai offers desert heat and dust while Singapore and the Far East will make you feel you are landing on the sea! Most of our Indian Metros have sad slums or industrial waste dumps as the view available. The minute you look out of your flight from Surat, you are immediately smitten by the city’s beauty! The flight route during take off as well as landing is more like a Surat darshan tour. The green stretch ends into the vast Arabian Sea then you turn around and re enter the foliage from way above. Flying over the flyover town is like looking down at heaven, the glistening Tapti as she gently curves with familiar monuments and gardens on either bank, the grand Swaminarayan temple, the artistic dome of the Indoor Stadium, the bridges that connect us both over road and water, the Gaurav Path. The clean, green Surat with its organized urban planning mesmerizes you into love at the first flight. One cannot but help feel proud of the bird’s eye view of our city as it disappears into surreal existence and melts away beneath the clouds .Then, remerges in all its splendour of a buzzing jet set town. You inadvertently leave and enter the town with a smile.
The rattling Vayudoot flights of the 70’s and 80’s that left us jittery are a thing of the past, this new improved airport avatar is our ticket to emotional, physical and financial connectivity. Once famous for our port, in future; we just might be so for our airport .Surat’s airport might not be as busy as New York, as well connected as Paris, as desirable as London’s Heathrow but we do now have a passage to help us get there faster and how! After all, from up there, Surat does look very khubsurat and of course,
’Saare Jahaan Se Achha!’