A friend of mine is holding a responsible post in Delta airlines. He had come home on leave. One day, he asked me if I would accompany him to Mumbai by air. I jumped at the offer. We drove to the Palam aerodrome in a taxi.

The buzzing of the aeroplanes filled me with a thrill. I was anxious to fly high up in the air. We bought tickets. The plane was to leave in half an hour. At the aerodrome, I saw a number of aeroplanes.

Some were droning overhead; some were taking off while others were landing. At the fixed time the signal was given. We hastily got into the cockpit. After a few minutes, the pilot took his seat. The passengers were asked to fasten belts. They were also given a cotton-piece each to plug their ears to escape the whirl of the plane. The pilot started the machine.

Before taking off, it made a noise. The noise was earsplitting. The propellers began to whirl. There was a sudden roar. At first it ran on the ground like a motor-car for a short distance.

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It continued bumping along but soon it gathered speed and began to soar high. It was off in the sky. Soon it was flying at a speed of about 200 miles an hour. At first I felt a bit nervous but my friend calmed all my fears. I felt thrilled. The clouds were overhead.

The landscape seemed to have completely changed. The lofty buildings of the Capital looked like a cluster of mere huts. The sky- kissing Kutab Minar looked like the chimney of a factory. Men and women walking below looked like pigmies.

The waving crops looked like green patches. The railway lines looked like black thin threads. The trains seemed to be moving at a snail’s speed. The rivers as we flew past them looked like serpents. The roads below looked like straight lines on the ground.

Big trees appeared to be small bushes. A big steamer sailing in a river on the way looked like a small boat. Everything below seemed to be running back while distant objects appeared to be rushing at us at a tremendous speed. It was like a world going back into disorder. We flew over fields, forests, rivers and cities and at last. We flew right over the sea.

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The trip was now over. The plane flew lower and lower till it touched the ground. It was still running slowly, till it came to a standstill. I thanked God and we came out of it safe. My friend took me to the Taj Mahal Hotel where we stayed for a week. I found myself in quite a new world.