What makes you feel nostalgic?

What makes you feel nostalgic?

When I was stationed in Bidar, I had this coursemate who used to fly down every weekend to his hometown. Every time he came back, he used to tell me the same thing again and again.

“I took an early morning flight and I checked in well before time to get a window seat. When the aircraft levels out, I put on my earphones and listen to the soundtrack of Interstellar. It makes me feel blessed for some weird reason. For a change, I am not flying and I am not alone, and the sun rays splitting the cloud cover along with the music of Hans Zimmer makes me feel alive. I forget everything else, my ailing father, the pressure of flying in the squadron, and everything else that is always bothering me. Trust me, buddy, it is pure bliss. You should try it sometime.”

I listened to him every Monday morning after the briefing and smiled.

Last week when I was flying down on an early morning flight from Delhi, I downloaded the Interstellar music suite on my phone. I did a web check-in and paid a few bucks extra for a window seat.

The plane took off and I plugged in my earphones. It was bliss as he said. All the good memories I had in my life came back to me as I watched the sun pierce through the darkness. While other passengers were weary of the turbulence, I was peacefully listening to the brilliance of Hans Zimmer reminiscing the first time I flew, the first salary I got, the time I spent with the best of my friends, the first time I held someone’s hand,d and so on.

I landed back in Bangalore, opened my Whatsapp, and messaged my friend, only to realize that through all these nostalgic moments, I had forgotten that my friend was no more. He had laid down his life trying to save his aircraft a few years ago.

The music still echoed in my ears as the truth dawned upon me and his face circled my vision.

Nostalgia can be a bitch sometimes.