Our ordeal during the return journey from Srinagar on 26th Sept.

Till the last leg of our travel, we had no qualms about Vistara's Ground Assistance or in-flight Service. 

Our Booking Reference was LBPY2H for the onward journey BLR/DEL/SXR on the 21st instant and LCFEB3 for the return journey SXR/DEL/BLR on the 26th instant.

Though we had short connections on both onward and return journeys, we were assisted by able ground staff, who ensured we didn't miss our connecting flight on our onward journey on the 21st of September. 

Come return journey on the last leg DEL-BLR on 26th, I have no words to describe the inefficiency and callousness of the ground staff. As in the previous journey, your ground staff greeted us and ushered us to the departure gates. What was different from our onward journey was that the staff moved so quickly and along with a family of 5, made us run around 2 km from the arrival gate to gate no 51 where our next flight was ready to board. Despite our age (I am 63 and my aunty is 70), we, along with the family of 5, almost ran to the gate only to be told curtly, that our flight had been closed. 

\What ensued was nothing short of a drama at gate no 51 when we asked the supervisor (one Mr Rajkumar) who said nothing could be done as the flight door had been closed. There was no sympathy or empathy for senior citizen travelers. A few other connecting flight travelers were not allowed to proceed for security check but were diverted to the Transit Desk where they were given fresh boarding passes for connecting flights an hour and a half later. We would have been more than happy, had they extended the same service to us too. But it was not the case.

When enquired about why we were not provided a buggy from the arrival gate to the departure gate, which if done, could have ensured all 10 or so passengers boarded the flight, Mr Rajkumar said that the buggy belonged to GMR and was not available to them. Isn't this a service for the passengers or is this ornamental furniture at the airport? Isn't it paid for by the passengers, as a part of airport taxes?

After arguing and making our point clear to the staff at gate 51, we were told that there were no seats on the flight that were offered to the left behind connecting flight passengers but not to us. The staff clearly lacked empathy as any other person in their place would have secured seats for us before allotting them to others. We were left high and dry and as a consolation, we were given a limited meal voucher to wet our sore throats and growling stomachs.

At last, the staff did a great favour and offered us seats on flight UK809 at 19h40. Had they shown some empathy, we could have been at our homes by this time. 

Continuing our ordeal, the 26th was Bengaluru bandh and due to our delayed arrival, the engaged private taxies (already prepaid) had to be sent back and we had no option but to pay again for the taxi. However, due to our persistent demands, the ground staff agreed to do the following:  

1. Pay for the taxi charges.

2. Since the luggage of all 4 passengers (we were traveling together), was booked in my name, our request to send the luggage of the other two passengers to their residence by your ground staff at Bengaluru.

Takeaways to the airline, from the whole episode:

1. Never offer short-connection flights to be booked (if you can't guarantee ease of connection).

2. Logically speaking - short-connection passengers must be allotted seats closer to each other and as far as possible towards the front of the aircraft. It is easier to earn passenger goodwill in the long run than be greedy for profiting from the premium seats in the short run (an old fable - golden egg or such egg-laying goose). 

3. Buggy or other means of internal transport be booked by the airline, with airport authorities, for such travelers.

Before I forget, amongst the transit passengers was a Capt. of the Indian Army who was on an emergency visit to Bengaluru (Family Medical Emergency) and a couple of others. I have the phone numbers of all the passengers who would vouch for the casual and appalling attitude of those in charge and in such responsible functions/positions.

It appears that only passengers who raised their voices were punished (by delaying their connecting flight) while the others were accommodated on earlier flights, as they didn't protest.

My numerous emails to various people connected with grievance redressal have fallen on deaf ears. With this experience in the background, I wonder if I will ever fly Vistara.

Let this write-up serve as a caution to readers, who travel with short connecting time between flights. 

My trip to Srinagar – Day 6 – 26th September 2023:

Chapter 6

Last day of our stay in Srinagar, 4 of us (Suma Aunty, Veena, Vijay and yours truly) crammed into an Autorickshaw and off we went Temple hopping.  

First to visit was the Hanuman Temple which also housed Lord Shiva and Maa Durga. It also had Tulasidas Ji's idol. As in other cases, this temple too, was under the protection of BSF/CRPF. Hanuman and Durga idols were decked in garlands made of currency notes.

    

We performed the abhisheka, naivedya and arati, as we did in almost all the temples. Suma Aunty had brought homemade bead garlands and cloth to adorn the deities and she did offer them at almost all places.

Next, we visited the Shitalnath Bhairav temple, again protected by security forces. There was a Ganesha temple as well. We were disappointed by the next two temples that we visited. More details below.

Batyar Temple, by the river Jhelum, was not open as the priest had locked it and gone out on errands. The locals tried their best to locate him but couldn’t get him. We were told to wait for some time but couldn’t afford it as we were hard-pressed for time. We don’t know who the presiding deity was.

Next in tow was Sri Narayana temple at Bulbul Lankar, which was in the most pathetic state. The doors were locked and we could peep through the cracks in the door that shrubs and wild vegetation had grown inside. All these temples are in the old town of Srinagar and in some cases, we had to get down from the autorickshaw and walk through the narrow roads.

Disheartened, we strode on to our next stop, Sharika Mata Mandir. We had to climb over 100 steps to get to the top of the hill (Hari Parbat). The main deity Sharika Devi is said to be a Swayumbhu (self-formed) Sri Chakra. Annoited with Sindhoora, it appears magnificent and huge. Legend has it that the temple was built by Emperor Ashoka, who visited the site in the 3rd century BCE. Over the centuries, the temple has undergone several renovations and additions, including the addition of a dome and a spire in the 19th century. We filled our eyes with magnificent views from atop this hill. We were also to visit Chakreshwari Temple very close by and when enquired with the security personnel, they said both are the same. Many address Sharika Devi as Chakreshwari due to the presence of the deity in the form of Sri Chakra.

Last in our itinerary was Zestha Devi Temple also known as Zeethyar, locally. A slight deviation en route to Raj Bhavan and on the picturesque hill. Climbing around 30-40 steps, we reached our destination. This sanctum too, like in Kheer Bhavani temples, was on an island. There was a Shiva Temple too, in this complex and as usual, we performed abhisheka, and adorned him with beads garland and vastra, offering naiveidya and aarati to Lord Shiva.

 

This done, we hurried back to our base camp in time to bid farewell to our host and push off to the airport.

In all, we had covered a lot of ground and I must say we achieved 98% coverage of our plan to visit the temples, between the 21^st to 26^th of September morning. I must reiterate that the positive vibes from visiting these shrines (and ruins) charged me up and I am grateful for getting an opportunity to visit these places. Thanks again, Suma Aunty!

One thing I forgot to mention. The veteran traveler that Suma Aunty is, she had brought along a coffee filter, coffee powder, electric kettle, long-life milk, sugar, etc. and saw to it that we were never deprived of our favourite morning cuppa. Thanks a lot for that, too. A coffee aficionado, she had freshly prepared coffee at the tea stall in Chowkibal, when all of us sipped masala tea. She was instrumental in guiding us throughout the trip and if not for her insistence and persistence in covering all the planned sites to be visited (a bit of a taskmaster), each day and each session, we wouldn’t have covered even half of our targeted visits. 

Our co-travelers, Vijay and Veena, Parameshwaran, Radhey Shyam and Sridhar were excellent company throughout this memorable trip. Perhaps this trip, with the group together, could be the first of many more to come. 

We then drove to the airport in time for our first leg of travel (Srinagar to New Delhi). Reached New Delhi a tad later than scheduled and had an ordeal of a journey in the second leg, to end our trip. More on this in my next write-up.

Exhausted, we reached Suma Aunty’s place around midnight and I could only complete the circle of my journey from home on the next day (27^th) as it was too late to unpack my stuff as we had distributed our stuff in both our luggage.

Bitter truth: I am not as fit as I thought. I don’t blame my age but my lethargic and lazy attitude in keeping myself fit. Walk, I can for long distances but the flexibility of the body muscles and agility with which I could move during my heydays is what I lacked. This, compounded by a bit of obesity, challenged me to tackle the demands of various activities during this trip. I resolved that I must do something about it and hopefully, by the next trip, I should be in better shape.

Another surprising thing I noticed throughout our trip was that the local people helped us a lot. They were very hospitable and took care of even our slight requirements. Right from the time we were picked up from the airport to our journey to Tithwal and return, also till the time we boarded the flight in Srinagar, they had hosted us perfectly and we enjoyed the entire trip. 

In case you need further details of our host at Srinagar and Tithwal, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Hope you enjoyed reading this travelogue (though a bit lengthy). 

Please leave your name after comments on this and other articles so that I can respond to you.

Awaiting your responses to this,

Yours truly.

Ramesh Katte