Fearful adversity once again made strange bedfellows-aboard the hijacked IC 814. Recalls passenger-turned- hostage Daman Kumar Soni: "When he was in one of his better moods, the nicest of them all, the hijacker called Burger, asked honeymooners on the plane what they would name their first-borns. Most ladies giggled out Burger. Then someone playfully said, Burger bhai, now ask these ladies whether they are as enthusiastic about letting their children grow up to become hijackers like you! Burger burst out laughing, so did the women...you see, he was quite a likeable character," says Soni. But did he like the terrorist? "Most male passengers liked Burger 40 per cent, the ladies liked him 60 per cent, I liked him only 10 per cent. But thats because I had heard Rupin Katyal moan himself to death on the seat next to me. For me it was difficult liking them, no matter how nice they were."

Seated much ahead of Soni and ignorant of Katyals murder till they reached Delhi, newly-wed couple Sukhvinder and Rajinder Singh too speak of the almost...