C.J. Redwine famously quoted, “Losing your head in a crisis is a good way to become the crisis”, in her novel, Defiance. It was May 2017, when her words became apparent to me.
Booking the tickets of my first ever flight was truly a gala affair. I had to join Bharat Aluminium Company and so I booked a flight ticket to Raipur, C.G. I had two luggage bags and two backpacks, one of which had my laptop and the other had all the important documents required for my joining.
The flight landed at Raipur and I took my stuff from the conveyor belt and headed toward the departure door. Before exiting, I decided to sit on the comfortable sofas near the lavish glass walls of the airport and wait for the cab to arrive. It was not long before my peace was broken and the cab driver called me. I exited the airport, though a bit grudgingly.
This was the exact moment where the trouble began. I counted my bagpacks and yes, you guessed it right, the bag with all the important documents was missing. I was cursing myself for this blunder, when it - thankfully -occurred to me that I had kept that bag on the same comfortable sofa seats, juxtaposed the glass wall.
Keeping the other 3 bags safely with the cab driver, I began pleading the policeman guarding the door, to let me in for a minute, so that I can get my bag. He denied reproachfully and said that you should raise a complaint with the airport authorities and they will surely send you your bag within two weeks. The further worsening of arguments with the policeman became futile when he moved towards me, taking a big rifle in his hands.
This was the instant when Redwine’s quote came to rescue. I gave up my efforts to get help from that policeman then and there, calmed myself by taking a good deep breath and just thought what else should be my course of action. Those moments of calm thinking proved to be extremely helpful.
The next thing I remember is that I went near the transparent glass wall; saw my bagpack sitting comfortably on the sofa, beside a beautiful lady! I knocked on the glass wall and with a few hand gestures explained her that the bag is mine. She understood me perfectly well and that was when my faith is humanity got restored within a few minutes of its cruel destruction.
She came near the departure door and passed me the bagpack through the same parlous rifle carrying policeman. All I could say to her was that, “I can’t thank you in words”, before she went away. I thanked the policeman also, though I was relishing the sweet look of defeat on his face!
This event – though created by my sheer carelessness – showed me that seemingly difficult problems can be solved within minutes. All you need is a calm mind, which can think beyond the conventional approaches of problem solving.
Analyzing this case, I had two conventional approaches to bring my bag back. First, contact the airport authorities, tell them all the necessary details, get my bag back in a week or two, and risk my joining with the company. Second, was to get in fight with the policeman and land in jail or maybe get shot.
Well, sense finally prevailed and it was the unconventional approach which I thankfully found and chose, for which I give all credits to the BTA approach. :)
-SJ
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