So now, NDTV says, they’re talking about grounding all Boeing Dreamliners flying in India.

Yes, the same plane that evokes dreamy sighs from frequent flyers and mild envy from budget travelers. And while one part of me says, “Yes, safety first,” the other part—a slightly more cynical fellow who sits on my left shoulder sipping his morning coffee—murmurs, “Wait a minute, isn’t this a bit premature?”

Because let’s be honest—this isn’t just about grounding planes.

It’s also about grounding reason, logic, and perhaps the last remnants of diplomatic tact. Now before you accuse me of favouring American companies or being on Boeing’s payroll (though if they are reading this, please tell them I do accept cheques), let me explain.

The crash was tragic. Lives were lost. Families shattered. But even as the black boxes are being deciphered and theories swirl in pressrooms like tea in a cutting glass, we seem to have zeroed in on the villain faster than a Bollywood climax—Boeing.

Now, the Americans—and they’re quite good at courtroom dramas—must be already warming up their defence. “Bird hit,” they say. And suddenly, our Swachh Bharat dreams start trembling like a paper plane in a thunderstorm.

Because here’s the thing about bird hits: they happen. But when they happen near airports, especially ones surrounded by open garbage mounds disguised as “sanitation projects in progress,” the world starts to sniff—not at the garbage, but at our hypocrisy.

Take Ahmedabad, for instance. The capital of the Gujarat Model as we were all told. Supposedly the example of cleanliness campaigns. Where civic sense is painted on walls but not practiced on roads. If the crash is traced to a bird strike caused by garbage, well then, we’ve just flushed an entire “clean India” campaign down a municipal drain.

Worse still, this could open up a can of worms. What else have we swept under the rug—or more accurately, under the overflowing bins? Hunger index reports? Freedom of speech and press reports? Lynching reports? Economy on the rise data? What else?

No, this is not the time for knee-jerk nationalism or public relations panic.

This is the time for surgical introspection. Let’s not shoot the aircraft before reading the full post-mortem. Let’s not turn this into a “foreign conspiracy” saga while ignoring the crows feasting outside our terminals.

Because if we ground the Dreamliner today without conclusive proof, we’re not just grounding a plane—we’re grounding credibility, diplomacy, and perhaps the opening of all we have kept shut from the outside world.

Let’s wait for the facts. Let’s examine the reports. And while we’re at it, let’s also examine those overflowing garbage bins conveniently located all over the country near airport boundary walls.

Because dreams fly high, but it’s filth that brings them crashing down.

And if we must ground something—maybe start with the garbage…!

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