Airport Bomb Scare

By Remo Fernandes
Posted on 2008-08-10
Lately, whenever I have travelled out of Goa on a short overnight trip, I have driven to the airport myself, parked my car at the convenient pay-park just outside the airport gate, and walked to the departure area, my trolley suitcase in tow.
But on July 28, I was going to shoot a music video, and I was carrying a heavy suitcase filled with costumes and instruments. Since I had already tele-checked in the day before, I decided to drive up to the departure gate, quickly drop my heavy luggage at the counter, park my car at the parking lot, and return leisurely on foot.
I temporarily parked my car in front of the departure gate (10 minutes parking is officially allowed at this spot, the ‘No Parking’ sign notwithstanding), walked to the departure gate, and the cop on duty asked me for a photo ID.
Now I normally produce photo IDs when asked. But what is it that made me react badly to this simple routine request on that particular morning? Was it my ego that was hurt because the cop didn’t know who I was? Was it the fact that I hadn’t slept enough the previous night? Was it the sights I had seen on the way to the airport, of migrants defecating on the highway edge on that pure Goan monsoon morning? Or the massive constructions I had seen along the way, destroying yet more rice fields and hills, built by migrant builders, using migrant labour, for migrant buyers? Or was it the accumulated angst against Goan ministers selling off Goa to the highest bidder, serving everyone else’s interests except Goa’s and Goans’?
It must have been a combination of all of the above. We Goans are going through extremely sad and stressful times at the moment. The grief of seeing our beloved land die right before our eyes, watching it being swept away from under our feet, every single day, one day at a time, does take its toll on one’s mind, heart and soul.
I’m not trying to justify myself. I know I was wrong in reacting the way I did. But the fact is, on that particular morning, the Demon of Anger took over me. “Hanv konn to nokoi? Tum Konkani uloitai?” I asked the cop on duty. “I don’t speak Konkani,” he said in Hindi. “Why not, if you’re posted in Goa? Aren’t you here to serve Goa and Goans?”
By now a Jet Airways staffer noticed the altercation, and quickly came and escorted me inside.
He then whisked me through the X-ray and check-in formalities, which took about 5 minutes at the most – there was absolutely no one at the airport at 7.30 a.m., and Jet Airways had already printed my boarding pass and kept it ready.
I walked out less than 6 minutes after I had walked in – to find a clamp around the front wheel of my car.
I learnt this had been ordered by a person from the Airport Authorities of India [AAI], who sat in a glass cabin right next to where I had had my little exchange with the policeman. I saw it as a straight case of revenge for the argument of a few minutes before – and whatever little patience I had left gave way.
I walked to the glass cabin peephole, saw a Sardar called Mr Bhattu and his Keralite assistant inside, and demanded to know why my car wheel had been clamped. The Sardar claimed it had been parked there for longer than the officially allowed 10 minutes. I said, “No way, it was not over six minutes. And how is a lone traveller who drives himself to the airport supposed to check in with heavy luggage, if he does not park the car for a few minutes outside the terminal?”
But the Sardar refused to listen, and my Goan blood boiled over again. “You’re coming to my state and trying to harass me?” I asked. “There is no ‘this state and that state’! There is only one India!” he stormed. “Yes, there is only one India, but when we are posted in other states, we must show respect and courtesy to the locals, not boss over them!” I stormed back. “Are you going to remove that clamp or not?”
His assistant said that for this I would have to pay a parking fine. I said, “No way am I going to bow down to your harassment, because this is nothing but revenge and harassment! It is an illegal fine, because I was not inside the airport for longer than six minutes! Do what you like, I’m taking my car keys and going to Mumbai.”