The Transaero Experience : Amreeca to India

I like bargains. Always have. Always will. In Kolkata I am an expert haggler when it comes to street-side shopping. I think it is a genetic gift from my mother. My friends usually stay away from me and pretend that they do not recognize me when I am in the middle of a heated bargaining session. I once managed to get a pajama for free from a Gariahat vendor. He was so frustrated with my bargaining that he said "Ei nin. Tahole free tei niye jan"( Just take it for free.) He was obviously trying to be sarcastic. He did not realize that I would actually put the pajama in my bag and start walking. In my defence he did say it.

So while coming back from Amreeca for my 3 and a half week of breather to Kolkata I was looking for a bargain. And I landed on Transaero Airlines. It was atleast 500 bucks cheaper than its closest competitor. No one in my circle of family, or friends, or colleagues knew or even heard about it.  Before confirming my ticket I googled Transaero and Moscow airport thoroughly. I saw that it had below average rating and most of it was because of poor in-flight entertainment.

Well here is my experience flying Transaero. The good, the bad and the ugly(which was probably not the airlines fault).

Flight from JFK to Moscow
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1. I, owing to my very famous right operated leg, had taken wheelchair assistance. KB was flying with me which was a big big big humoungous help. I requested for a wheelchair at the checkin counter before getting the boarding pass. We were told by many that we displayed amazing ignorance by not doing a web check in, but even then we did get seats side by side in both the flights. The staff was quite considerate about it. After waiting for about 10 minutes I got a wheelchair.
2. As KB put it, my pain was her gain. Thanks to the wheelchair we breezed through security, and the staff was nice enough to stop at a restroom for me. He wheeled me right to the gate. Just before boarding started for everyone else another wheelchair appeared and they wheeled me to the gates of the flight.
3.  The flight was clean and full. The stewards and stewardesses were very good looking. The issue was their English was a little broken. They took my crutch and stowed it away safely.
4. After the flight was in flight(I am not sure if that is a tautological error) everyone got blankets but no pillows. Now this was bizzare. I specifically asked for pillows and they explained that pillows were only for babies. That is  bad according to me. In a long 9 hour long flight you should provide pillows to your flyers.
5. The in-flight entertainment had a host of popular Hollywood movies and shows. Each seat had its own personal video screen. The catch. Everything was in Russian with no subtitles. This was not a very big issue for me because I had my own entertainment. KB.
6. The food on this flight was actually quite good. There were a big group of orthodox Jewish students flying and the flight had special Kosher meals for them.
I had an interesting conversation with the flight attendants before I got my lunch.
Pretty Flight Attendant (in broken English) : You ordered special veg mean.
Me : No
PFA : Yes you did.
Me : No
PFA : But it says you did.
Me : Ok give me the veg dish.
PFA : But we no have veg dish. We only have fish dish.

I got fish a-la-kiev with mashed potatoes which was quite tasty. They served a veg salad which had a piece of ham in it. There were two breads. My advice. Do not eat them. And a bar of chocolate.

They served a second meal. I took eggs and sausages which was again quite tasty. KB took french toast. She was not a fan.

There was tea, coffee, different kind of juices and soda but no ginger ale. I did not see any alcohol. (On a completely different note. I have decided to take Thumbs Up from Kolkata and bring back Ginger Ale from the US)
7. My seat was perfect with enough leg space even for my broken leg. KB's backrest kept on sliding back even when the button was not pressed.
8. The flight was smooth and the landing applause worthy. It was also in time.
9. As mentioned there was a bunch of pubescent Jewish boys on the flight. Even in all their orthodox finery they were indisciplined monsters. I wanted to throw them off the flight. These were a bunch of typical "badhe baapke bigde huye aulad" They would hit my leg and murmer sorry and continue to do the same. They hit KB while she was sleeping. They also decided the spot just in front of our seat was the coolest place to hangout. they were loud and unruly and their caretakers were useless. I wish the flight attendants handled the situation better and made them quieten down for the other passengers.


Flight from  Moscow to New Delhi
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1. The way Moscow airport got me in the flight is what sci-fi movies are made up off. The flight was from Gate 37. The staff got me out of Gate 21. Then a ramp came down and I was put in the ramp along with my wheelchair. The ramp automatically started moving and I was inside a truck. Te truck drove straight to the plane. Then the whole truck with everyone inside lifted up. Another ramp came out till the door of the flight. It was just oh-so-cool.
2. This one was a smaller flight and was completely empty. The staff (who again really pretty Russians with broken English) were nice enough and let me take a seat in the middle where there were three seats so that I could stretch my legs. I ended up completely lying down.
3. We got the blankets but this time KB took matters into her own hands and found the stash of pillows and got us a couple.
4. The in-flight entertainment was non-existant in the form of a giant screen at the front of the flight which showed whatever the pilot fancied I guess.
5. As for food I got chicken for myself and KB got fish. The chicken with rice was rathar nice a version of Lila Majumdar's pishpash with boiled carrots. The fish was apparently quite bad. This time also there veg salad had a giant chunk of raw fish. I am not sure what else they served because I slept through that. And ofcourse there was tea, coffee, juices and sodas.
6. The flight was before time and the landing once again impeccable.
7. As soon as I landed in Delhi there was a staff with a wheelchair for me. We were at the extreme last gate and this is something I would like to mention specifically. I offered him cash, because I thought this is India and all that. He did not take it. He said "Thank You Ma'am. I was only doing my job."

When I was flying back to Kolkata from New Delhi via Indigo, both the staff was actually expecting me to pay them for pushing me in the wheelchair.

All in all I would actually recommend Transaero. Carry your own entertainment and stock up on some food. From functionality, safety, security, punctuality and cost effectiveness, it is a good choice. I will confirm my opinion after I return to the States. I have my tickets on the same flight.

P.S. - Moscow airport does not accept Dollars. It only accepts Rubles and some shops might accept Credit Cards. Best is to have some Russian currency with you. 1 Russian Ruble == 1.15 INR.

The shorts Story

I have grown up in a bustling metropolitan city. My parents are moderately liberal. My dad never really cared much about clothes in general or what I wore in particular. Even as a kid when I would ask him for money to buy clothes his general response was always " Why do you need money for rags?". But if I said I needed money for books he would actually give me extra money. My mother on the other hand was and still is a little too opinionated about what I wear. She does not really mind what I wear when I am out with my friends. But when it comes to me visiting my relatives she always insists that I wear a salwar suit or saris (something grown up and traditional). She also tells me that traditional clothes suit my body type better ( what she means is I am fat and I should not wear western outfits). But even me, just me, if I am in Kolkata I would not out of my own wear something above my knee or something off-shoulders or something like a spaghetti even during the hot sweltering months. And if I am absolutely honest a lot of it has to do with how I will be ogled at on the streets but a lot of it also has to do with how I will be get looks filled with judgment and disapproval by mostly other women on the road. I think, this is the reason that prompts my mother also. What other people would think if I bare too much skin.

The first incident happened in 2011 when I burned my leg. I remember I could not wear, leggings or jeans for obvious reasons. I tried wearing skirts a little below my knee but they would brush against my burn and that used to hurt mind-numbingly much. So I used to wear long skirts and saris when outside. Around the house, I used to wear shorts and nightshirts. The thought of wearing a short short outside, even when I was hurting because the fabric would brush against the burnt skin, did not ever cross my mind


The second incident is fresh. 2015 and my ACL repair. Dr M who is super efficient and has been very accommodating to my needs(which I appreciate so much that I actually want to voluntarily hug him at times) does not really mince his words. The first time I went to see him I was wearing knee length shorts which would be considered quite scandalous among  society at home. The conversation went something like this.

Dr M : Why are you not wearing shorts ?
Me : But I am.
Dr M : No something shorter. Much above your knee.
Me : How much shorter?
Dr M (pointing to my lower thigh) : This is where your final stitch is going to be. So something above that.
Me : I do not wear such shorts.
Dr M : Why?
Me (I did not know how to explain all these complex social rules I have grown up with and instead said what I believed was what everybody was thinking) : Because my legs are not nice.
Dr M : Aesthetically I have no comments. But if you want your legs to be nice from a functional point of view you will wear shorts. I cannot have anything touching my stitches."
At that point I was thinking the stitches are mine they will be on my leg. But the option was clear. I would risk showing ugly leg rather than have an infected leg.

I bought three pair of shorts. I figured it would tide me over 6 weeks of recovery. I have been moving around in them. At first I was a liitle uncomfortable. Not only am I wearing shorts for the first time after puberty, I was not allowed to take a bath for two weeks. Now, although I am allowed to take a bath, I am still not allowed to scrub my leg let alone shave it. So I have been to a hospitals, across state lines, beaches and a bank in shorts with unshaven leg. Guess what ? Nobody cared. Nobody gave a second glance. Well actually they did to ask me if my leg was okay because of the braces. Nobody asked why my legs are not shaved or why I am wearing shorts. People usually made way for me and helped me

Till today morning that is. I went to the bank today in NJ and there was a lady in a salwar suit with her husband. I was there with VP. The looks that she gave me. I had forgotten that look. One full of disapproval and viciousness. She moved a little closer to her husband and then she saw I was with VP and gave VP a look too. A look of  "How can you let your woman wear what she is wearing."

I am supposed to land in Kolkata in 10 days. I wonder what happens if I land up in my city wearing shorts ? I will be judged won't I ? In my own city ? Does this really mean I am somehow disrespecting my culture??