I am one of the NRIs that the Narendra Modi government claims to have ‘rescued’ heroically from abroad through its much-celebrated Vande Bharat Mission. However, my experience with this ‘rescue’ mission has been one of the most stressful times of my life. It was an emotionally and financially draining experience. Finally, I had to sue the Modi government and Air India to get a seat on a Vande Bharat flight back home to Kerala. Here is my story.
I have been living and working in Europe since 2015, and in Munich since 2018. Early 2020, I got a job offer from an IT firm in Bangalore and I was all set to relocate to India. I put in my papers with my German employer and booked my tickets in March to leave Germany on 5 June. And then, both the German and Indian governments announced lockdowns due to the coronavirus crisis.
My German visa, called the EU Blue Card, is connected to my employer. So when the employment contract is terminated, the visa, too, gets terminated. However, considering the travel ban to India, the German government had made provisions for stranded foreigners to extend their stay legally in Germany without hassle. Then the trouble started.
Also read: Air India repatriated 6,000 Indians in 31 flights in first 5 days of Vande Bharat Mission
A social media government
One week before the scheduled flight to Thiruvananthapuram, Qatar Airways wrote to me saying that the flight had been cancelled and that I could reschedule (get a voucher) for a future flight or apply for a full refund. I opted for the latter and waited. That same week, the Modi government announced three flights to Delhi from Frankfurt under the Vande Bharat Mission to bring back stranded Indians. Our Digital India-endorsing government makes announcements only on Twitter and Facebook. The government does not update embassy websites or the websites of the civil aviation or external affairs ministries. All official announcements are made via Twitter. So if you, like me, don’t have a Twitter or Facebook account, then you will miss out on these official government announcements. I got the link to the Google form only when it was circulated on a WhatsApp group.
For these first set of three flights from Frankfurt, the Embassy of India in Berlin (being the nodal authority for the Vande Bharat Mission) announced on social media that stranded Indians who wished to return had to register themselves via a Google form. This form asked for personal identification details and reason for travel to India. The procedure was that the Embassy would go through the applications and shortlist deserving passengers who would get priority to travel back. Naturally, pregnant women, senior citizens, students, or those stranded with expired visas would get first preference.
I waited after registering and my name didn’t make it to the list for the first three flights. The Berlin Embassy announced, again via social media, that stranded Indians needn’t panic because there will be other flights to more Indian cities in the coming days. In the next few days, Air India put up a list on its social media handles for Vande Bharat Phase 3 flights, which included a 19 June flight from Frankfurt to Thiruvananthapuram.
The Embassy instructed stranded Indians via text and video posts to directly book tickets on these flights through the Air India website on 10 June, when the airlines would open their bookings.
So, on 10 June, I tried to book a ticket on this flight. Unfortunately, the airline website showed that there were no flights on that date — even though all the lists put up on the official Indian government and Air India handles show this flight. Then, through a WhatsApp group of stranded Malayalis, I came to know that there are three other flights to Kochi from Frankfurt — on 16, 23 and 28 June. By the time I got this information, the flight to Kochi on 16 June was booked. But I managed to secure a ticket for the flight on 23 June for €650.
Also read: India plans international air ‘bubbles’ after US restricts Air India’s Vande Bharat flights
An endless wait
Despite all the miscommunication and misinformation, I was relieved when I finally got a confirmed ticket in my inbox. I spent the next few days cancelling my contracts (apartment, phone, internet, insurances, etc.) in Germany. I was scheduled to join my new job virtually on 29 June. Everything seemed to be going well.
Come 14 June and a new list was floating around these WhatsApp groups in which only the 16 and 19 June flights to Kerala were listed. From then on, the real nightmare began. On 15 June, this list was published on Air India’s official handles and on the external affairs ministry website. Most flights scheduled for or after the 19th were missing from it.
When I tried to retrieve the booking through the Air India website, it showed an error. Following all the rules and instructions given by the Berlin Embassy and Air India, I called and emailed the airline’s customer care portal.
After multiple calls (which included 20-30 minutes of being on hold and hanged on), I finally got through to an agent. For the last 15 days of June, I called Air India every single day to get information on the ticket and flight status. However, no clear information was given, and each time a different reason or solution was given, without any information about the flights. There was never an email or official communication from the Indian Embassy or Air India about whether the flights were, in fact, cancelled and, if so, why.
The final information that I got from the Air India agent was to wait until new flights were announced. Unlike other airline websites, Air India didn’t allow us to see our booking online. So, even if there are new flights listed, one has to keep checking the Air India website, find a flight with seats available, then call customer care, wait for an hour to get through and be informed that there are no more seats.
Apart from me, there were also older people and students who were due to fly on these flights that got cancelled without notice. I spoke to a student, who lived in Dresden, and couldn’t even afford to pay for his daily meals. He told me that he was calling Air India and writing to the Embassy almost every day seeking help. He said that he was waking up late every day so that he could delay his hunger a bit more and eat less food every day. Air India executives continued to read from different scripts and provided no information whatsoever.
Meanwhile, the joining date for my new job got postponed due to tax and legal implications. By 30 June, I had to vacate my flat, had no income, my phone and internet contract was cancelled and I had to take refuge at a friend’s place with no news of when I would be able to return to India. There was no information on the next flight or if the money I paid would be refunded. I wrote to everyone possible: the Berlin embassy, the Chief Minister of Kerala, and Air India. I even opened a Twitter account to inform the authorities through tweets, but to no avail.
Also read: International flights suspended till 31 July, some on selected routes may be allowed: DGCA
Filing a case
On 1 July, Air India again announced a flight from Frankfurt to Bangalore via Delhi. And the same thing followed. I checked online and called the customer care executive. After 20-25 minutes of waiting, I got through to an agent who said that there were no seats available. I tried 3-4 times that day and every agent gave me a different answer. Some said that the seats were sold out while others said the booking hadn’t even started.
After this continuous stress and harassment, I decided to go ahead and file a case against the authorities and Air India. My father, C.A Majeed, filed a writ petition, on my behalf, against the Union of India, Air India, State of Kerala, Indian Ambassador to Germany and Norka Roots in the High Court of Kerala (WP(C) 13506/2020) on 3 July. The case was heard on 6 July, during which the representative of the Modi government said that they were not aware of the case and hadn’t received the files. The next hearing was moved to 9 July. On the evening of 8 July, my lawyer was asked to provide my details (name, passport number, e-ticket number) and the next day, just before the hearing in the court, I was emailed a ticket confirming a seat for me on flight AI120 from Frankfurt to Bangalore scheduled for 12 July.
I managed to get a ticket and come home, but the harassment and stress that I went through as a stranded person in a different country, even after having paid the full amount for my flight, was unpardonable. Air India or the Indian Embassy showed little or no sensitivity in at least informing us of the cancellations on time or providing us with a solution. Despite following every rule by the book, the Embassy blamed Air India for the chaos, and Air India kept saying that the Embassy had ticket quotas that it allots to passengers it deems fit to travel.
When I saw all the advertisement and praise for the Vande Bharat Mission online, I felt everyone should know the callousness with which NRIs are being actually treated.
I had paid €650 for a ticket from Frankfurt to Kochi, and I was given a ticket from Frankfurt to Bangalore, worth €470. I had to book tickets from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram on my own and pay almost Rs 15,000 for my ticket and extra baggage. My joining date got postponed by a month, which meant I missed out on one month’s salary. And this is just my story. I got a place to stay and had some savings with me. There are so many other Indians, not just in Germany, but in different parts of the world, who may not be able to afford this ‘rescue’ journey. I wouldn’t wish this for anyone else.
It is high time that Air India gets called out for its irresponsible and insensitive treatment of passengers and milking such an opportunity to loot people in distress. And it’s high time that the Modi government takes notice and addresses the harsh reality rather than spending money and time on rosy advertisements.
The author is a former journalist and editor who now works as a content designer in the tech industry. Views are personal.
Read Air India’s response to this article, which was tweeted on 22 July:
The writer, Monty Majeed, responded to it by saying the airlines had got the date wrong and that she hadn’t received any information/communication about a refund for her flight ticket as on 23 July.
ThePrint reached out to Air India spokesperson Sameek Bhattacharya who said, “We have already made our statement in our Twitter handle. We wouldn’t like to make any comment on it.”
The article has been updated.
A malayalee communist with vested interest pulled in Govt of India and Modi in this matter. If Air India made mistake you have to challenge them not govt of India. Again media like print is anti Indian and i am blocking them
Why didn’t your grandparents cross the border in 1947? Why do you feel such a great sense of entitlement. Stay in those countries only. Prickly pig.
You are chu to leave your job during time and thinking to come back india at this time.
Hope you understand
can you get more entitled? I don’t think you have done it enough, people in regular circumstances faces issues like this some times and not just from India. and you want to be whiny brat for just logistical issue during pandemic times? salute to you. P.S. – that student deserved more help, and also I am pretty sure Germany has enough shelters to feed hungry.
I have no idea why ppl on this comment are so angry at the writer. I’m 100percent related to this incident do u know how much is a ticket from Russia to India on your “great” Vande bharat flight, its 55000 rupees one way . The normal ticket price for one way is 12000 rupees. I rest my case. And if ur not an Nri pls dont judge how others feel. I’m still stuck in Russia due to the costly ticket price. I have done all I could do but still stuck while u ppl in India are afraid that we will bring covid to u. I have many times gone to depression and thought of doing negative things but I’m still hanging on so pls dont bully this writer. And I wish well to everyone.
Ask for free ticket. You might be lucky to grab one … hahahaha
Is all NRI’s are these chapskate?? If you are depressed spend money and try to reach home
It’s the price that you are paying for services people are offering you to airlift from foreign land. Hope you earn enough and rs 55000 is meagre considering the risk.
Look at name of the author. second he is from kerala and third this is print. so one can know what to expect from it without even reading it. enjoyyyy
The print is anti-Hindu & anti-India. Combining with someone who only believes in Wahabism leads to above story defaming India and its Government. Many have learnt the lesson of life but I think you just started learning now. You don’t have the courtesy of job opportunity provided by great India but complaining even at this Covid 19 situation is a shameless attitude.
Authors hindu phobia has affected common sense. Hundreds of thousands of Saudis, Qataris, Emiratis losing their job and getting homeless, and mr hindu phobic is complaining about pay cut and standing in air port
Pro tip: when tough times strike, get a twitter and facebook account. You work in the tech sector, right? I am pretty sure you can figure it out. Sorry, not sorry. Thousands of people with real problems are still having a difficult time getting back home, you sir are lucky.
I’m thinking of suing the government to have you sent back.
I can agree with every bit of your experience. When the pandemic was at its peak, HCI London website was showing pictures of a cultural event with no update on the covid situation. I had to fill that embassy form five times and still got no response from the embassy. What is the logic of announcing flight details on twitter and not on MEA, HCI and Air India website. It has been a harrowing experience. The most shameful act was when the high commissioner packed her bag and left whereas common people were trying every bit to get a ticket. People in the comments section attacking the author didn’t face anything similar and hence, trying to defend the govt. Be in the person’s shoes to get to know how it feels being left alone in a strange country all locked up with bare minimum food.
Please like you can never improve your mindset. Everyone in world is in one or other problem.
If you cannot save even to survive for a month after staying there for long time.. then believe me.. you need to introspect yourself only.
See how many people are happy after they reached own land.
Have some patience dude and try to think from other perspective as well. This will help you in long run.
Yes we are going in stressful time but air India should learn from it’s process and identify where they are going wrong,they are not doing this for the first time .Least they can do is inform the people who have booked their seats and return the payment money when they cancel flights .If they can’t handle the situation they should opt out and other carrier take over .
Somehow am unable to believe, I do stay as a bluecard holder, when you said you been working for 5 good years in Germany, you naturally can avail the social insurance and could have stayed in peace .. could have booked some repatriation flights.. and could have moved out of the country.
Am unable to believe, Germany will not push anyone when they have a proper residence permit and you been a tax payer !!
Looks like a made up story to me !!
Why do this blog portal even publish such blame game articles. You are an NRI as me, and face the challenges buddy. People have lost jobs in India, and they don’t earn in euros as you. Thank that you have a job. Learn to show gratitude for what you had in thsi challenging times, thank shelling out your agony and spreading negativity.
People of India,
It is time to revolt against the Government.
The Govt can certainly not be trusted.
They have shown how crooked they can be.
It is a known fact that the Govt does not trust us – citizens.
They think everybody else is corrupt like themselves.
Millions of citizens have lost their jobs.
Millions of businesses have failed.
Millions of agriculturists are suffering.
Millions of traders are suffering losses.
Lakhs of people have died because of the COVID crisis.
Overall, the economy has collapsed.
And all the while, the Govt keeps saying that “Everything is fine”.
They think we are all FOOLS !!!
The Govt has done absolutely nothing for us.
Therefore it is time to revolt against the Govt.
This is the only way we can give a new meaning to Democracy.
-The Common Man
Common man, go educate yourself and create 10 jobs and build fee school. Instead of sitting here complaining about “government”, no government in the world is perfect, it is the people of the country that make a better country and democracy. Revolting does not but pushes back the FDI that is needed to fund many start ups.
Today people doesn’t have any gratitude. Air India pilots risked their lives to bring these mindless people to India. Posting these senseless articles and asking for paid subscription is useless. Print should stop posting these 1 sided articles to attract paid subscription.
You self-pity, selfish, and insensitive aaa
. It’s good that you are not a journalist anymore. Really, you are complaining about missing out on one month’s salary and Air India not providing premium services during the pandemic when every country closed its borders.
Very true, me too stuck somewhere and faced many struggles that doesn’t mean cursing will ease my struggles. I don’t know how such articles even publish. I am thankful to God,and doctors who conducted my covid 19 test and yhan all policemen who are standing selflessly.Moreover a big salute to Modiji and Air India, after suffering from such crisis making us meet our family. I will not do such mistake by forgetting Airport staff who were strict but being strict doesn’t make them bad. An educated person will obviously understand these circumstances.
Totally agree. When this people leave India, do they get local government’s permission to live in another country or accept projects outside? What a unappreciative pig.
PRINT. and you bothered to publish this nonesense and expect me to pay for your subscription?
You self-pity, selfish, and insensitive aaa
. It’s good that you are not a journalist anymore. Really, you are complaining about missing out on one month’s salary and Air India not providing premium services during the pandemic when every country closed its borders.
Wow – enlightening to see that so many Indians on this thread think that anything more than what this poor man suffered would be “special service”. Is that how low your expectations are from your beloved Modi sarkar?
First of all be thankful to everyone & thank God that you are back to India. All your negative statements in this article are due to your arrogance and ego.
Please think about migrant labour’s in other countries who are stranded, struggling and starving. Please try to contribute for their well being through your prayers, contributions & service. God bless you with peace & happiness.
and migrant in our own country……..really this man should read reports about what happened with migrant laborers from Bihar and UP ……Great gopi bro
Now here is a real colossal idiot! A real one!
NARRATION IS TRUE AND THERE ARE INNUMERABLE STORIES. THIS IS THE POSITION OF CHINESE AGGRESSION ON INDIA RECENTLY. WE ARE TALKING AND THEY ARE TAKING
not all NRIs faced these issues. 90% of the needy have come back and are thankful. If you are young and able you can easily weather this storm, but u r a snowflake who has never seen any struggles or it does seem that way in your writing.
Typical Indian.
Scaming people is fine,
The fools get scammed and learn their lesson .
And most people live and weather the storm.
In other words , poor have problems Indians don’t care. Women have problems Indians don’t care. Indians just don’t care because everyone goes through problems so problems are natural and normal.
Husband beats you ? No problem suck it up, many Indians beat their wives , don’t be privileged. Got mistreated ? No problem many Indians mistreat others.
Pathetic morons in the comments
Excellent summary of the dismissive Indian approach to society’s problems. No wonder things have stagnated in the country.
U have no clue how others are suffering or r stranded. Why make a hue and cry in this abnormal situation. Plz tell us are other countries even having such frequent evacuation flights NO. So shut up and stop bad mouthing India and the Govt. stop asking for publicity.
It’s ones perspective and way of seeing life. It’s easy to bitch about everything government doing.
I also gone through all of those problem he mentioned.
Anyway with amount of people stranded in both India and Germany are more. But in this Corona time we can’t ask everything to be proper and seemless.
Even though I faced all challenges, I feel they done very good job.
When spending gala time like an NRI did u ever think of donating some of you earning to India. Instead of being thankful u people start blaming the govt. If something good then Kerla Govt if something wrong then Modi Govt. Wah wah.
I travelled with Air India in an rescue flight from India (Hyderabad) to Germany (Frankfurt). This is the flight where mostly German Embassy people are present and ideally it should be Lufthansa which should run this mission but they didn’t dare!
I know the difficulties you are talking about. I know it was not a pleasant journey. But brother do not underestimate the bravery of running these flights in a such a times. When we reached finally after a 13-14 long tiring flight, where no proper service was there, no fancy food was provided, not even the entertainment is present…. Germans gave a standing ovation and they were so greatful for what Indian government did. Also, when the captain made the final announcement, he said Jai Hind loudly. You know what was the reaction? Everyone in the flight clapped and cheered!!!
I know you have found a platform to spread your hate and I know you are hurt because you lost your one month salary but what exactly are your losses in front of 1.3 billion people (which we call as a nation). I am honestly feeling sorry for you for having so low thoughts because even after living as an expat for few years, you worry about your one month salary and that too in these conditions???
Well said Sai!!
Well said Sai.
He is a Muslim and this news agency The print have a bias towards modi govt and Hindus. That’s why they had printed this news to defame govt. In the time of crisis you should be happy that atleast you got the ticket and came home atleast govt tried atleast the crews took the great risk. But still they want 5 star treatment which they will not get in Pakistan or any other Muslim nation. Shame on you.
I personally know people who were rescued by this mission just before the pandemic hit. Ofcourse there will be a few errors when you have to suddenly plan this large operation.
The govt has no legal responsibility to fly you out of some other country, so your entire claim i sued the govt is dumber than your bigotry.
In tough times like these even the worst of people try to empathise, but i didn’t expect fanatics to become tolerant, thanks for reconfirming my assumptions about you people.
In crisis time people do face problems, the thing is patience is the key. I have seen so many people booking the flights and canceling later, so as per your case GOI should file case against them too.
I am not saying you have not faced problems but difficult times have there own problems. Regarding embassy information system, no they were emailing every individual who registered you are wrong in that.
And I can tell you with experience of people I know embassy took care of every individual who faced monetary issues. But ideally noone staying in Germany who came to do job or study is so bankrupt that they can’t even afford food.
If this is the case they should not overburden their parents as we have many good universities in India.
We all face problems and we feel angry and bad about it and yes mismanagement happens across the world their can be reasons for it, but this can’t wash aways the efforts done by the Government.
So according to you MODI is responsible why not Kerala CM intervened he should also be held responsible for it?
Thank God you are alive and back home. Millions suffering in the country and dying every day because of this pandemic. Be happy with what had happened to you.
Fake story to get attention. Writer is Majeed, father of the story actor is Majeed, sorry said virtual job delayed due to legal and tax complications but lastly blamed on gov, kya bhai public ko fuddu samze ho apne jaisa. U keralities has issues with india and indian gov. I lived in gulf and found every keralities hate our gov and our country.
It’s hard to believe that a person who is hired by an IT company and doesn’t have a tweeter or Facebook account. Also believe what goes around on WhatsApp forwards is always free.
Mr so called NRI is not from this planet.
Moreover, it seems the airlines staff was harassed by making numerous calls and emails.
DGCA’s Vande Bharat Mission was the only source you could come back to your motherland.
Dear author. I can see no matter what government do, there will be people like you who will always criticise the government for their own sake. First, you should be happy that you are safe and alive. Second, you should be thankful that you somehow managed the whole thing and government didn’t leave you stranded. Thirdly, you had enough money and still calling everyone a lootera! Why you wanted to move to Bangalore when you were here since long? You might be earning decent money with good social security. Mind it, I am also in Europe on Blue card. You decided to moved back but due to covid you weren’t and ultimate blame for your never ending suffering falls on government of India. Kudos to you!
Airlines are hard to run businesses in general. Air India is a government-owned that makes it worse.
Nonetheless, under the circumstances the mismanagement is understandable.
Commenters, please don’t assign a motive based on a person’s name.
Who is responsible for the havoc worldwide ? Did u ever write any article against it? U wont and only blame GOI for all crisis.Today entire world is struggling to get things to normal routine and we all are aware the kind of population we have and facilities we have to tackle such a pandemic situation. But I will still thank GOI and Modiji for his courageous decision to put entire country under lockdown. with such huge population and admission of lack of medical facilities and treatment and handful of people paying Taxes how can government survive.
Even parents are stuck in Australia since March and no tickets confirmed as yes as demand is manifold compared to supply ,but patience is the only thing that we should have.
Even I am stuck abroad and didn’t meet my family ,my small children aged 11 and 5 but still waiting for my turn to come, that doesn’t mean I blame the system.
It’s a phase of life and we need to overcome the same.
Jai Hind
U had every reason to blame the govt ,but what if like many other countries the govt didn’t even start their repatriation flights bringing back stranded INDIANS back home.
It’s a complete challenging situation should govt take care of it’s people who are already facing medical challenges or should they focus on those Indians who went out voluntarily for their prospects.
Even I am stranded out and didn’t even meet my small children since almost 8 months but waiting for situations to become normal.
Thank God that u are safe and with your family.
After reading the comments here I got convinced that we deserve a govt what we get. People are more interested in defending their favorite govt than discussing issues at hand. The main issue here why can’t the govt plan and communicate the information professionally.
Well said Mr Shridhar !
It is mind-boggling to see educated Indians do everything but hold the government they elected responsible for its failures. This reminds me of the behaviour of bhakths during an earlier hare-brained decision: demonetisation.
During the massive self-goal called demonetisation bhakths would bend backwards to defend the PM’s certifiably foolish and reckless decision. When Modi realised that he had blundered big time, he cunningly escaped responsibility by getting the likes of Arun Jaitley (RIP) and Nirmala Sitharaman to face the music and defend the indefensible. Yet, despite the economy tanking, hordes of bhakths would defend Modi’s folly tooth and nail.
The Vandhe Bharath débâcle and the even more serious migrant catastrophes that played out on India’s roads were man made err Modi made tragedies that the government should be held responsible for. Poor planning, a centralisation of authority with just 2 Gujarathis calling all the shots, the elimination of states from the decision making process have all contributed to this deadly fiasco. But ask a middle-class Indian, he will very likely say:
“It is not Modi’s fault, it is Nehru’s fault”
As the British novelist George Orwell (1903-50) said:
“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims, but accomplices”
Dont lie Mr Kili!!
The migrant crisis was made by the migrants!
They chose to walk, the govt did provide 1 bottle of water for every 50km (or so) and …was it 2 packets of Parle-G??
What can the PM do with Lakhs of Crores he got from the PM Cares fund? wasn’t that enough?
1 Lakh crore was spent in water and Parle-G for migrants… accountability over.
Bhaiyon aur Behno please keep contributing to the private PM Care fund.
Can someone pro-govt please confirm the details?
One word… Corruption – Did you forget the slogan
“Khaunga aur Khane doonga”
or something like that?
What Atul Kaul said is completely true, I dont believe that the author was being fair with respect to these trying times, he was just outright selfish. But I dont understand what the author’s name has got to do with this. If you dont have anything useful to contribute to this conversation then please refrain from bringing up a person’s background and culture as it has nothing to do with the issue. Best regards
Mr Atul Kaul, the Hindutvaist will now attack you because you are a Christian …
Indian embassies have a clear priority list, did you read that? You seem like someone that will be lower in the list.
These are difficult times for all of us. I have been in the Uk for the last 4 months, on a vistor’s visa. I have registered for the flights, but still not been called. The number of people trying to get home is unprecedented. The world hasn’t seen an emergency like this in a 100 years. Some, like me, will understand. Others, like you, with that enormous sense of entitlement, will claim victimhood. Sad.
Telling that you sued Air-India, and not Qatar airways, your original choice of carrier.
It’s the choice you made to select Air India. And not vice versa.
I don’t know if you are aware that dozens of Air India pilots are infected with Covid just to take care of thankless people like you.
u should be grateful that GOI got you back. Your issue is trivial … inconvenience. Frankly, you are giving yourself more importance than you deserve. Be happy that GoI finally came to your rescue. If you were feeling so hassled, why did u even bother to take Air India.
Just because you are an ex journalist, you are trying to gather sympathies, which you don’t deserve.
650 euros are peanuts for this rescue
Interesting that the author left India for good few years back… and now expects to be treated as a VIP whom the GOI has duty to bring back to India. Why did he have to change the job and come to India in the first place ? Visa issue and not due to GOI.
I know several Vande Bharat happy stories – and there will be exceptions, this one isn’t terrible as he atleast traveled.
If we don’t have a faith & believe on our country to get out or earn our staples only at here then these kind of problems may occur occasionally.
the vast majority of the comments higlight the mentality indians that will never change. they blame the victim and are always lickign their political masters boot. they are always in fvor of their corrupt indian masters and teir companies
This is also called ungratefulness.
it would have been better, if you were left there stranded. Thousands of NRIs are still stranded world over.
Any government can do only so much.
And, platform for your grievances is the key, only The print, Modi hater, will be ready to publish this concocted story.
No doubt the post is from print and victim is muslim..
Works in Tech industry and doesn’t have Facebook / Twitter ?
Anyway one can pin the blame on Nehru for this?
Yes in 1962 Nehru started wrong policies which caused the Covid-19 pandemic!
Covid 19 is an international pandemic and don’t judge a country on the basis of ur experience. India being a developing country is doing many things for its citizens and non citizens which even European countries cannot afford. Stop spreading negativity and panic among common people who are still to be rescued. U have excellent writing skills, so write something positive which u have experienced during ur journey. Then it may not be either published in ‘the print’ or u maynot get paid. Unfortunately negative news can be easily sold
First of all, before blaming the government or Air India, you need to think what you could. If you are that much desperate to go back to India, you could register to Twitter or SNS for more information. It will not take much time to be done. Everyone else is making best efforts for it. You are not the one who is privileged to receive Whatever you want by waiting others.
For myself also, while in business trip to foreign country, lockdown started and my wife is waiting in Delhi over 3 months. Everyone is separated and bearing the pain, however, wishing India come back to normal and safe again.
You sound like a whining Kid with a political agenda to to me…There a huge number of people in different countries facing same issues, you should be thankful that you reached home. India and Modi Govt is doing very good as compared to other countries.
Mr Navneet: Care to explain what exactly is the “political agenda” in this ? Or would have preferred that the author had blamed Nehru for this? Or the Congress party?
And pray tell me, on what basis do you claim :
“.. India and Modi Govt is doing very good as compared to other countries. ..”
Did you do some comparative analysis to rank countries on how well they performed in getting their citizens home ? And please factor in the suffering inflicted on poor migrant workers in the country when you do so.
Stupid rationale, who the hell in the world has not impacted by COVID. This won’t stand and he may be fined for wasting court time, check some fact of people who went count with trouble due to pandemic. Better focus your job, at least you have one in the pandemic. Air India is always irresponsible under govt cover. This is no more a story to share.