By Ananya Sharma 
Hubballi, December 5: The families of Medha Kshirsagar and Sangam Das had been counting down to December 3 for weeks. The wedding in Bhubaneswar, held on November 23, had gone smoothly. The reception in Hubballi was meant to be the relaxed, happy follow-up. Nothing complicated at all. Just a two-city commute, a change of clothes and an evening with relatives.
That confidence lasted until about mid-morning on December 2. According to India Today, the couple reached the airport expecting a routine flight to Bengaluru. Then IndiGo began pushing out those familiar delay messages. One after another. At first, the two tried to stay upbeat, telling themselves it would sort itself out. These delays usually do. Except this one did not.
By the time the clock edged past midnight, the airline had cancelled the flight completely. Moneycontrol reported that they were part of a much larger meltdown. A couple of hundred cancellations that day, and many more in the days around it. The sort of disruption that leaves passengers staring at the departures board as if it might magically fix itself.
The Bigger Mess Behind A Small Personal Disaster
IndiGo has been struggling for days, and insiders have been hinting that the pressure would spill over sooner or later. The new Flight Duty Time Limitations rules, which stretch rest periods for pilots and crew, kicked in just when the airline was already short-staffed. Schedules were packed too tightly to absorb any sudden change.
The Times of India reported that the DGCA and the Civil Aviation Ministry stepped in, asking for explanations. But while committees review paperwork, passengers remain stuck. Medha and Sangam had no realistic way to reach Hubballi in time. No connecting flights. No overnight trains that would land them before the reception. Nothing workable.
So The Reception Happened. Just Not The Way Anyone Imagined.
Back in Hubballi, guests had started arriving at Gujarat Bhavan by late morning. Food was prepared. Photographers were already setting up their lights. At that point, cancelling the event would have caused more chaos than continuing without the couple.
So the bride’s parents asked the venue staff to bring in a projector. According to India Today, they sat in the seats meant for the couple and completed the rituals on their behalf. And then, on a large screen at the front of the hall, appeared Medha and Sangam, patched in from Bhubaneswar.
It looked slightly surreal. Some relatives spoke to the screen as if it were a person. A few children found it hilarious and kept waving. Older guests took a moment to adjust. But everyone eventually played along because what else could they do. The family had spent weeks preparing. They were determined not to let an airline’s bad week steal the celebration entirely.
Why People Connected With This Story
Once Republic World carried the footage, the moment spread quickly online. A lot of viewers saw their own recent struggles reflected in it. For the past week, cancellations and delays have been derailing everything from weddings to funerals. People have missed exams. Missed job interviews. Missed long-planned holidays. So when a couple ends up attending their own reception through a screen, the frustration feels very familiar.
The problems facing airlines are not exactly new. But the speed at which the situation escalated took many by surprise. This time, there was no single cause to blame. Just a stack of issues that finally tipped over.
IndiGo Pulls Back, Hoping To Regain Its Balance
IndiGo told The Economic Times that it will scale down operations starting December 8, cutting flights to ease the strain on its roster. The airline expects a full return to normal only by February 10 next year, which hints at how stretched things have become behind the scenes.
A decision like that does not come lightly. It affects travellers, airports, ground staff, everything. But for an airline that has been running nearly every aircraft at maximum capacity, this may be the only way to reset.
The Part That Numbers Do Not Capture
For the families, the cost of the disruption is not something that can be measured in cancellations or refunds. A reception is a moment people imagine clearly. The walk through the entrance. The greetings. The photographs. None of that happened the way anyone had pictured it.
Guests at the venue later said the couple handled the situation with surprising calm. They smiled, spoke to everyone patiently and made the best of the odd circumstances. But of course, there was disappointment behind the smiles. Anyone would feel that.
The Road Ahead, For The Couple And Everyone Else Flying This Month
Medha and Sangam will eventually get their proper celebration. Families always find a way to gather again. But the larger aviation problems linger. India’s passenger growth has surged far ahead of infrastructure and staffing. One rule change or a sudden spike in demand can throw the system off balance.
Travellers heading into the year-end rush may need backup plans, and perhaps a bit of luck.
For now, the reception that played out on a projector screen in Hubballi stands as a small but telling example of how a nationwide airline crisis reaches into people’s most personal moments.
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- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
