KOLKATA: At the Bandaranaike International Airport on Sunday night time, the 4 girls have been hugging every different, tears of relief streaming down their faces. For the adolescence buddies from Kolkata, the last few days had been highest, nearly idyllic. Except, after all, for Sunday, their remaining day, when all of it got here crashing down in a torrent of terror, ripped aside through the blasts that killed just about 300 other folks and injured a number of loads.
Nidhi Kabra, Prachi Daga, Vedika Modi and Zehra Izhaar, tenting in Wedduwa, 33km south of Colombo, had planned to spend their remaining day of holiday within the capital city, exploring it the entire day before catching a late-night flight home — Nidhi and Zehrar to Kolkata by the use of Chennai, Prachi to Bengaluru and Vedika to Mumbai, the place they now are living. “We have been having breakfast and making plans our day commute once we started getting calls from home, asking whether or not we have been secure,” stated Nidhi. “When we heard what took place, we have been in shock.”
“There used to be just one factor on our minds — a lot of those killed have been vacationers, identical to us.”
The 4 of them many times tried dialling the helpline numbers of the Indian High Commission in Colombo that exterior affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had shared in a tweet. But their calls didn't connect. In panic, they tweeted Swaraj: “Ma’am none of those numbers are reachable. We are four girls from Kolkata in Wadduwa, two hours from Colombo. Our flights are at 11.30 this night. We are very distressed, please advice”.
They didn't receive any direct answer, but, within hours, a senior cop arrived and arranged for their easy passage to the airport in Colombo.
The 4 classmates from St Thomas School, Kidderpore, had met at Chennai International Airport on April 16, looking forward to five days of natural a laugh. Nidhi is now studying for corporate secretaryship, Zehra works in a movie manufacturing space in Kolkata; Prachi is a techie in Bengaluru, while Vedika is an advertisement professional in Mumbai. Before Sunday, the ladies had had a great vacation, with trips to Kandy and Nuwera Eliya, and have been yearning to stay on. But the blasts changed all that. As they watched the scoop on television and social media and noticed the mounting loss of life toll, panic began to set in. “We tried to stay calm, reassuring our oldsters we have been okay. But we have been a package deal of nerves. None folks had been in a situation like this. Suddenly, we realised we have been have been in a foreign country, clear of our loved ones. That made us really feel very inclined and we just wanted to go back to the protection of our homes,” confessed Zehra.
They have been initially caught in two minds: whether or not to pack their luggage and rush to the airport, or keep again at the lodge and prolong their keep till the situation returned to normal. All the while, they saved dialling the emergency numbers, failing to glue.
“The terrorists have been attacking five-star houses, and that used to be frightening, as we have been in a lodge,” stated Vedika. “We have been also worried about crossing Colombo on option to the airport, as lots of the moves had took place there. When we expressed our fears, the police gave us another route to the airport and we didn’t have to head throughout the capital. The roads have been deserted and we coated the distance briefly.”
En route to the airport, Colombo used to be rocked through the eighth explosion, and that’s when the web connection and international calls have been suspended. “We have been left with none touch. But we caught in combination, holding the morale up and supported every different,” recounted Zehra.
At the airport, they found themselves amidst loads of other international vacationers leaving the country in a rush. While Vedika and Prachi took separate midnight flights to reach Mumbai and Bengaluru, Nidhi and Zehra took a later flight to reach Kolkata by the use of Chennai on Monday.
Back home, the relaxation used to be finally palpable, as used to be the fear of the remaining a number of hours. “We just hope nobody else has to revel in what we had to go through on that remaining day in Sri Lanka,” stated Nidhi. “It used to be in point of fact a holiday we will be able to never overlook.”Nidhi Kabra, Prachi Daga, Vedika Modi and Zehra Izhaar, all adolescence pals from Kolkata, have been out on their first ever international vacation when the blasts ripped thru churches and resorts. Terrified over what had took place, the 4 tenting at a seashore lodge in Wedduwa — 33 km south of Colombo — many times dialled the helpline numbers of the Indian High Commission in Colombo that exterior affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had shared in a tweet. But when they didn't get thru, they tweeted to Swaraj in panic.
“Ma’am none of those numbers are reachable. We are four girls from Kolkata in Wadduwa, two hours from Colombo. Our flights are at 11.30 this night. We are very distressed, please advice,” one among them wrote to the minister.
They didn't receive any direct answer from Swaraj or any reputable from the High Commission. But within hours of the post, a senior police officer arrived at the lodge, checked their passports after which made all vital arrangements for their easy passage to the airport in Colombo.
Nidhi Kabra, Prachi Daga, Vedika Modi and Zehra Izhaar, tenting in Wedduwa, 33km south of Colombo, had planned to spend their remaining day of holiday within the capital city, exploring it the entire day before catching a late-night flight home — Nidhi and Zehrar to Kolkata by the use of Chennai, Prachi to Bengaluru and Vedika to Mumbai, the place they now are living. “We have been having breakfast and making plans our day commute once we started getting calls from home, asking whether or not we have been secure,” stated Nidhi. “When we heard what took place, we have been in shock.”
“There used to be just one factor on our minds — a lot of those killed have been vacationers, identical to us.”
The 4 of them many times tried dialling the helpline numbers of the Indian High Commission in Colombo that exterior affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had shared in a tweet. But their calls didn't connect. In panic, they tweeted Swaraj: “Ma’am none of those numbers are reachable. We are four girls from Kolkata in Wadduwa, two hours from Colombo. Our flights are at 11.30 this night. We are very distressed, please advice”.
They didn't receive any direct answer, but, within hours, a senior cop arrived and arranged for their easy passage to the airport in Colombo.
The 4 classmates from St Thomas School, Kidderpore, had met at Chennai International Airport on April 16, looking forward to five days of natural a laugh. Nidhi is now studying for corporate secretaryship, Zehra works in a movie manufacturing space in Kolkata; Prachi is a techie in Bengaluru, while Vedika is an advertisement professional in Mumbai. Before Sunday, the ladies had had a great vacation, with trips to Kandy and Nuwera Eliya, and have been yearning to stay on. But the blasts changed all that. As they watched the scoop on television and social media and noticed the mounting loss of life toll, panic began to set in. “We tried to stay calm, reassuring our oldsters we have been okay. But we have been a package deal of nerves. None folks had been in a situation like this. Suddenly, we realised we have been have been in a foreign country, clear of our loved ones. That made us really feel very inclined and we just wanted to go back to the protection of our homes,” confessed Zehra.
They have been initially caught in two minds: whether or not to pack their luggage and rush to the airport, or keep again at the lodge and prolong their keep till the situation returned to normal. All the while, they saved dialling the emergency numbers, failing to glue.
“The terrorists have been attacking five-star houses, and that used to be frightening, as we have been in a lodge,” stated Vedika. “We have been also worried about crossing Colombo on option to the airport, as lots of the moves had took place there. When we expressed our fears, the police gave us another route to the airport and we didn’t have to head throughout the capital. The roads have been deserted and we coated the distance briefly.”
En route to the airport, Colombo used to be rocked through the eighth explosion, and that’s when the web connection and international calls have been suspended. “We have been left with none touch. But we caught in combination, holding the morale up and supported every different,” recounted Zehra.
At the airport, they found themselves amidst loads of other international vacationers leaving the country in a rush. While Vedika and Prachi took separate midnight flights to reach Mumbai and Bengaluru, Nidhi and Zehra took a later flight to reach Kolkata by the use of Chennai on Monday.
Back home, the relaxation used to be finally palpable, as used to be the fear of the remaining a number of hours. “We just hope nobody else has to revel in what we had to go through on that remaining day in Sri Lanka,” stated Nidhi. “It used to be in point of fact a holiday we will be able to never overlook.”Nidhi Kabra, Prachi Daga, Vedika Modi and Zehra Izhaar, all adolescence pals from Kolkata, have been out on their first ever international vacation when the blasts ripped thru churches and resorts. Terrified over what had took place, the 4 tenting at a seashore lodge in Wedduwa — 33 km south of Colombo — many times dialled the helpline numbers of the Indian High Commission in Colombo that exterior affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had shared in a tweet. But when they didn't get thru, they tweeted to Swaraj in panic.
“Ma’am none of those numbers are reachable. We are four girls from Kolkata in Wadduwa, two hours from Colombo. Our flights are at 11.30 this night. We are very distressed, please advice,” one among them wrote to the minister.
They didn't receive any direct answer from Swaraj or any reputable from the High Commission. But within hours of the post, a senior police officer arrived at the lodge, checked their passports after which made all vital arrangements for their easy passage to the airport in Colombo.
Scary turn to dream vacation for Kolkata girls
![Scary turn to dream vacation for Kolkata girls]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
April 24, 2019
Rating:
