Biju Pitnaik airport at Bhubaneswar, ancient capital of Kalinga, was a pleasant surprise. Gone was the fuzzy disorientation he’d felt as he was processed off the London flight in the glass and steel-trussed anonymity of Delhi. Here in Bhubaneswar, cosseted by a warm, damp breeze off the Bay of Bengal, disembarking passengers walked from the aircraft to the terminal through a garden of low, clipped hedges and well-tended flower beds. In among these were set terracotta figures of the better-known deities; Ganesh the elephant, Hanuman the monkey, Shiva and Vishnu. The garden led to a small, friendly arrivals hall hung with lanterns and brightly coloured banners, as if for a festival. Mabbut took up position beside the baggage belt. Above him a brightly lit ten-metre advertising panel depicted a family, all of whom, from baby to aged grandparents, were looking dreamily heavenwards, smiling identical happy smiles. Below them, picked out in silver lettering, ran the strap line, ‘Dalween Banking: For a Better India’.
