THIS DAY THAT YEAR 1993---- A PLANE CRASH

My friend Piyush Kagalwala was a bit upset that I did not congratulate him on his promotion as Chief Manager that day. My office was surprised that an otherwise disciplined Kannan has not reported back from leave. Why?

As usual I boarded my favorite flight IC 440 at 7 am from Chennai for Hyderabad. The pilot used to take off from only the airport at Chennai and also used to land only at airport in Hyderabad. But that day he chose to land rather crash land in a rice field. I was fortunate to have 31F as my seat that was at the rear almost near the door and was also asleep to be blissfully ignorant of the turmoil, the pilot and consequently the passengers in the front had. The wings of the aircraft refused to co operate as the pilot tried to land at Hyderabad and the aircraft consequently flew at lower height  consuming more fuel forcing the aircraft to land at any place airport or otherwise.

Captain Balla did a great job of landing in a carefully chosen strip of rice field that sustained the dragging of the aircraft to almost a kilometer before halting. With head bent the passengers in the aircraft at the front had an easy jump from five feet, but people at the rear with tail up slid down almost vertically thro the hanging chute and landed 'thud' on wet clay slush that applied dirt and mud on the dress and face but saved fracture.

                            A CARTOON NEXT DAY

Villagers who got the wind of a crashing plane came crowding. Amazed to see an aircraft so huge and so close were equally thrilled to see superstar Chiranjeevi and Vijaishanti so close and so real. The actors played Good Samaritan by dragging the crowd away from the plane and helped the air hostess to distribute food. The villagers too were hospitable with food from their homes. The superstar and his troupe entertained the villagers who rejoiced the live show, and slowly the actor extracted his return by asking for a vehicle which arrived in the form of a tractor and trailer. He rode on the vehicle singing and dancing till he reached the main road almost two kilometers away. He was possessing the then super luxury item called 'cell phone' and ensured communication with his distributors at Tirupathi for help which arrived in the form of a van and he and his troupe jumped into it and vanished. People appreciated his presence of mind in the well planned move of keeping the crowd with him, timing his travel to the main road and the quick disappearance. 

At the Tirupathi office of the airlines when they asked proof of our identity as a passenger we laughed as we had enough stains of clay, mud and slush in our dress and for the first time saw a wash room after the landing!! The village youngsters were kind enough to carry our baggage for almost two kilometers in the uneven surface of the farm lands in which we almost danced as we walked. The airlines arranged a bus that followed the prescribed mode and path unlike the aircraft and   reached us to the Tirupathi office where they arranged a car for our trip to any place of choice and I opted Chennai. 

It was also Gujarathi New Year that day and a Gujarathi family of five had a memorable New Year experience. The pilot who according to the passengers did a commendable job was also given a party in a five star hotel by actor Chiranjeevi for ensuring that we live after the aircraft chose to die. Yet as per Government's interpretation of the rule book that guides the pilot on such emergencies he could have acted differently and was punished with withdrawal of his license. Though we never got to see him again we pitied him for the punishment of an offense which was purportedly committed by him against us.

I snatched the telephone first in the airline office and informed my office and a distant neighbor who had a telephone at home. While people in the office heaved a sigh of relief with one Good Samaritan distributing sweets and another braking coconut to Lord Ganesha, people at home lucky not to have a telephone got the good news as first news. 

When I look back at the incident even after twenty years, I owe at the blessings of God, to experience the feel of escape from the jaws of death. The innumerable messages of good wishes that followed especially from Andhra (Telengana included) and Gujarat where I worked longer gave me a feel of what it means to be adored and how I should never fail their esteem. I traveled by air thereafter also innumerable times but never sat in 31F nor traveled on 15th of November. I traveled by train to be back at work at Hyderabad as I was terrified for more than a month to even visit the airport.   

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