I was about to get lost in an unknown country, when I was 10.

This dates back to the summers of 2008–2009 when I was around 10 years old.

My family - my little sister, parents and my grandparents - was planning to go to Malaysia-Singapore in the upcoming winter holidays. This would be our first trip to a foreign country. We were just in time for the bookings, for there is a huge rush for holiday bookings at this point of time. So, we were lucky to get a connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur with a night stop at Colombo, Sri Lanka. We reached Colombo Airport at 11 PM and were headed to our hotel for the night stay. Our flight was scheduled to take off at 5 AM the next day and we were told that pickup time will be 3:30 AM. So, in the morning we woke up to a pick-up call, got ready by 3:30AM and were ready to board our coach to the airport, when my ਦਾਦਾ ਜੀ (grandfather) told my father, I still remember the exact words -

ਕਾਕੇ ! ਬੱਸ ਵਾਲੇ ਨੂੰ ਕਹਿ 5 ਮਿੰਟ ਖੜਜੇ, ਚਾਹ ਬਣਦੀ ਆ

Translation - Son, ask the bus driver to wait for 5 minutes, tea is being prepared.

My grandfather is habitual and fond of morning tea and had ordered for all of us, I don’t know when, I was denying to it, because we would get late.

When all others had boarded the bus, the bus conductor came to the hotel cafeteria and told my father to hurry up to board the bus, as else my family will have to go to the airport by their own arrangement.

My father now directed me and my sister to board the coach, whilst they were having tea so as to bind the coach driver from departing until they came, but to no vail. The coach left the hotel for the airport soon after we boarded it.

Upon reaching the airport, when me and my sister were about to enter the airport premises with fellow passengers, the airport officials asked for our passports. We checked our bags but in vain. We were denied entry to the airport. Then I called out for help from a fellow passenger, he indicated his inability to help and suggested to ask the coach driver instead. So I ran upto the coach, as it was leaving the Departures Area, and told the bus conductor about the problem. At first he refused to help. I was terrified, panting heavily, and asked him repeatedly for help. He told me he will try if some auto-rickshaw driver will take us back to the hotel. I remember he aksed some auto drivers in his local language, which I was able to understand a little bit, that these kids parents are at some hotel and they don’t have money. Few refused, and then one agreed and we were on our way to the hotel. It took around 15–20 minutes to reach the hotel and upon inquiry, I found out my family had left for the airport. So, now we were headed back to the airport in the auto-rickshaw with my little sister.

I was thinking -

What if we are not able to find our parents?

Will I have to work in this country for the rest of my lifetime?

Will the local police help me in finding my family?

How will the auto driver behave when he gets to know, he’s getting no money ? Will he beat us?

What will become of my sister?

All these thoughts were giving me goosebumps and mind you, I was just 10 years old back then. Those 40 minutes were very long. I don’t know when between these thoughts, we reached the airport.

I left the auto-rickshaw and was about to go to search for my parents with my sister, when suddenly the auto driver demanded that one of us should stay with him. So, I decided to keep our bags with him as security as I could not think of either leaving my sister with him or sending my sister alone for searching my parents. We began searching for our family members, running and looking up faces of every person out there in the Departures Area.

While randomly running towards the entry gate, I saw my family entering in the airport through the very first security check gate, my father at the last amongst them and called out loudly - “Papa”, but he didn’t see. I ran upto him, jumping the long queue as he was just about to enter, when I called out again whilst crying and tapped his back. He looked back, hugged me tight and told me that he had thought we were with the fellow passengers and would have boarded the plane.

To date I still think what would have happened if I wouldn’t have seen him. And for my grandfather, he still curses himself for that cup of tea.

Sends chills through the spine, everytime I think of it.

This is a recreation of the article - “God is Everywhere by Sanyam Aggarwal” - originally published in Potpurri 2011 - Annual Student’s Magazine of my high school. I have lost it now, but I faintly rememeber that it was concise and written in an engaging story telling manner.

Do you also feel the younger you were smarter, dreamier and better than you are?