Was watching the Telugu movie ‘gaganam’ on TV this weekend. I don’t know if it was the first Indian film on the theme of hijacking. A well-made movie. As I was watching it my thoughts went to a real incident that happened over 13 yrs ago. It was December 24, 1999. Indian Airlines flight (IC 814) was hijacked. It left Kathmandu and was heading towards Delhi. It was Christmas eve. On board, there might be people waiting to celebrate Christmas; people waiting for family reunions; or students on vacation. Their plans were hijacked, their near future was hijacked. (Incidentally, exactly on the same day I was returning from the US to India – fortunately on a different AI flight.) The uncertainty lasted for 7 days. Later there were media reports about how the passengers conducted themselves with great poise and self-restraint. Had they rebelled or tried some stunt they would have been dealt with ruthlessly by the terrorists. Apparently some foreigners who were travelling in the same flight later on praised the Indians aboard for the calm and composure that they showed. Then the “higher powers” intervened. The Indian govt handled the situation and the passengers were rescued. But then … these are exactly the kind of memories that you don’t want to recall when you are preparing for some air travel!
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:00:51 +0000
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