It was obvious that he thought that I might have a problem understanding the language. I was speaking to some guests in Kannada, when a man came to me and said very slowly and clearly in English, ‘May I introduce myself? I am. Plenty of local celebrities and socialites were in attendance. One day, I had gone to an upscale dinner party in my home city of Bengaluru. The word ‘cattle class’ was like a blast from the past and reminded me of another incident. Let the staff come and instruct her where to go. ‘It is hard to argue with these cattle-class people. ‘But I don’t want to go there.’ I was firm. ‘Now that you know the difference, you can go to the economy line,’ insisted the woman. Her friend added, ‘A priority check-in facility is available for our bags, which means they will come first upon arrival and we get more frequent flyer miles for the same flight.’ We always have television screens and there are four washrooms for a small number of passengers.’ We can extend the seats and lie down flat on them. We can board the flight from another, less-crowded queue. ‘We are allowed to bring two bags but you can only take one. ‘What kind of privileges are you talking about?’ ‘Really?’ I decided to be mischievous and pretended not to know. ‘So there are certain privileges that are associated with a business class ticket.’ ‘I think it is three times more,’ her friend interrupted. The latter costs almost two and a half times more than. There is a big difference in the price of an economy and a business class ticket. So I repeated, ‘Why should I stand there?’ I wanted to know why she had thought that I wasn’t worthy of being in the business class. I was about to tell her that I had a business class ticket but on second thoughts, held back. ‘You should go and stand there,’ she said. ‘Well, this line is meant for business class travellers only,’ she said confidently and pointed her finger towards the economy class queue. I was about to hand over my pass to her, but since she didn’t seem like an airline employee, I asked, ‘Why?’ Extending her hand, she asked, ‘May I see your boarding pass, please?’ Suddenly, the woman in front of me turned sideways and looked at me with what seemed like pity in her eyes.
Some teenagers were busy with the gadgets in their hands while the younger children were crying or running about the gate.įrom the Magazine Shaheen Bagh, CAA, Farmers’ Protest: Hip-Hop Is The Voice Of Dissent In India Why I Rap: A Hip-Hop Artiste’s Journey From Bihar To Stardom Death Of Three Dalit Girls And A Story Of Pain And Humiliation Church In India Cosying Up To BJP To Protect Its Interests Diary | I Want To Fly: The Unrealised Dreams Of An Ex-Banker And Mother I saw some British business executives talking to each other about India’s progress. I saw many old married couples of my age- they were most likely coming back from the US or UK after helping their children either through childbirth or a new home. The flight was bound for Bengaluru and so I could hear people around me chatting in Kannada. Since the boarding hadn’t started, I sat down and began to observe my surroundings. So there I was-a senior citizen dressed in typical Indian apparel at the terminal gate. Usually, I wear a sari even when I am abroad, but I prefer wearing a salwar kameez while travelling. Last year, I was at the Heathrow International Airport in London about to board a flight. In this extract from the book, the otherwise calm 66-year-old wife of industrialist Narayana Murthy gives fellow traveler a piece of her mind when she was called a 'cattle class person' at the Heathrow airport.
Taking from her personal experiences, Sudha Murty, in her new book Three Thousand Stitches, sheds light on some of the prevailing biases in the society.