These Cettnamians look like they’ve stepped out of Universal’s Buck Rogers (1939)

Whilst their ruler looks not a little unlike Ming the Merciless

Influences?

#JohnBurns

7/7
...and slipped into the plane just as the door was closing.

On my way to Coach, i found #JohnBurns in his Business Class seat (1A, of course). I gave him his Afghanistan-bag, and he looked at his watch.

"Two minutes to spare," he said, cool as ice. "Why such a rush?"

#RestInPower

6/7
...So I tried everything to get past the guard: I tried pleading in Hindi, i tried coming off as the Bara Sahib in English, and eventually he got annoyed enough to just wave me through.

I did an OJ dash through the terminal-- with #JohnBurns' communications gear clanking wildly on my back...

5/7
...Remember: I was a young journalist, hoping for a career exactly mirroring that of legendary foreign correspondent #JohnBurns. And just after I'd actually met the man and he'd taken me under his wing, here I was...
...stealing his luggage.

Unintentionally, sure.
But, still: Not great.

4/7
...OK, I figured, I'll take a later flight-- it happens all the time in India. Then I looked at my baggage cart, and found it contained not just my bags, but one of #JohnBurns'.

The communication gear he needed for his reporting trip to Afghanistan.

And he was already en route to the gate...

2/7
...we were on the same flight to Lahore: I to go home, he continuing on to Afghanistan. So he drove me to the airport.

As anyone who's been in a car with #JohnBurns can testify, it was something: He got through Delhi's traffic more speedily, and more recklessly, than any rickshaw-wallah...

Everyone who's done any international #journalism over the past few decades has a story (usually wild) about #JohnBurns. Here's mine:

I was living in Pakistan when he was the NYT South Asia bureau chief. I was on a trip to Delhi, and he kindly had me over for lunch and career/life guidance...
🧵
1/7

Some classic fiction, courtesy of a Kickstarter campaign celebrating #johnburns and #martinlodewijk, #Zetari is a beautiful hardback with quality paper. I'm saving this up for my Saturday ayem cupoftea!