An Extended Family Aizawl in Mizoram - Memoirs from AK Goel

I would like to share a nice and touching experience about the AIR Family.

This is a real incident when I was posted at Aizawl in Mizoram in the year 2010. I went there to join on 01st September 2010. One unique thing about me is that where ever I am posted I go there with my family. So I went to Aizawl along with my wife, elder daughter and my nephew, who happens to be living with me since 2006 since I lost both my sister and her husband. This boy was studying in class VII. My son was then working in Punjab and my daughter in law was in Punjab with my son. Younger daughter was pursuing M. Phil in Jawaharlal Lal Nehru University in New Delhi. After submitting her thesis she was to join me in Aizawl. So she booked her ticket from Delhi to Aizawl and she had to break her flight in Kolkatta, and had to stay the night there in Kolkatta. She was engaged. So along with me her father in law was also worried about her travelling to Aizawl alone, and then staying the night at Kolkatta airport. I did not know anyone in Kolkatta, but her father in law had a family friend in Kolkatta. So he called up this family friend of his and requested her to take my daughter to her place. Though my daughter didn't want to go to strangers house. But she obeyed her would be father in law and went out of airport where this lady was already waiting for my daughter. Anyway she was well taken care of by her father in laws friend.

Next morning she was dropped back to Kolkatta Airport. She had some time for her flight. Suddenly she realised that she was left with very little money as she was carrying 20 Kgs of rice and some of her books and her personal baggage, as after submission of her thesis she had to vacate the hostel, so she was entitled to 25 Kgs of luggage and she was carrying more than 50 Kgs, so after paying for the excess baggage she didnt have much money, and there was very little balance in her mobile phone. So whatever balance she had, she told me to get her mobile recharged. I opened my phone book and went through it. I came across Shiela Namchu Bhutia's name who was my batch mate of1988. The last I knew about her was that she was in Gangtok. I called her up. Asked her, her welfare and what she was doing. She said that after her superannuation she had settled in Kolkatta and was doing Duty Officers duty after her retirement. I gave her my daughters number and requested her to recharge my daughters phone who was at Kolkatta Airport and was not having enough balance in her phone just in case she needed to talk in case of emergency. Shiela Namchu Bhutia immediately did it. My daughter then called me up and said yes her phone was recharged. I gave her Shiela's number and my daughter immediately thanked Shiela Aunty. This is extended AIR family. Wasn't it touching and being proud of, of being part of this great organisation.