At San Francisco Airport - 11 Apr 08

We moved down from the plane on to the Airport lobby .The San Francisco airport is huge ,maybe ten times as big as the old Bangalore or the Hyderabad Begumpet or even the Kolkata airports. We were marveling at the infrastructure and the meticulously clean airport as we walked along the carpeted / flat -elevator entry points. And finally we reached the Immigration check counter.

Unlike India there were not very many passengers around except for those who had just arrived in another flight .Very pointed questions were asked by smart Immigration officials (in US police like dark blue uniforms) as to why we were in SFO to which I gave the ready made answers. It was a mini visa interview! After we were through with the Immigration check, we had to pass through another point which was checking whether we had brought any “unauthorized agricultural” items.

En route to the “Agricultural” counter, we saw a US official (in police like uniform), who was asking questions from the passengers. I thought that he was merely controlling the queue. A passenger just before me was questioned by this gentleman as to whether she was carrying any mangoes, to which she replied in the negative. When I heard the question I exclaimed “ You check mangoes also is it ? “ and myself and Latha were promptly put in the “ Agricultural” queue by this man !! It was then that I realized that the said person was allowing those giving satisfactory answers to go outside the airport, without opening and checking their baggage. Me and my big mouth!!

Fortunately there was an Indian American (a Punjabi) at the counter who asked me in Hindi – “Are you from India?” Totally taken back I said “Yes”. “Carrying any spices" he asked again in Hindi! By now I had gathered sufficient courage and I told him boldly in Hindi “No spices no Achar no mango. We know that we are not supposed to carry any of these items.” And he smiled and told us to go, without opening up and checking our baggage. So Swami gave us an excellent welcome, in the form of the Hindi speaking Indian American and saved us a lot of inconvenience, in the bargain, a hassle free travel indeed.

Loading our luggage on to two trolleys we moved to the Exit gate of the Airport. And there stood our son!! It was one of our happiest moments of our lives. Here we were in San Francisco, pinching ourselves to check whether we were dreaming. No this was too good to be true. Swami had at last fulfilled our dream and sent us to the US, undoubtedly with a Mission which He alone knew.

But then the grandeur of the moment ,immediately after setting foot in a foreign land , meeting our son , six years after he had left India, was something unexplainable .The moment was unique , exciting ,unforgettable; a moment which we will cherish for ever for the rest of our lives. - struggling to hold back our tears of happiness, as we embraced him, hugging him tightly. No words were exchanged – we were choked for words. But that was it – Happiness of a kind which cannot be expressed in so many words. And once again I thanked Swami for all the Grace bestowed upon us by Him, for having given us such a loving son and allowing us to come to the States to experience the joy !