वाली is a small word doing big work here. Attached to a noun it means ‘the one with’ — खिड़की वाली सीट is the window one, लाल वाला बैग is the red one. It is enormously useful for pointing things out without knowing precise vocabulary.

Indian airport security separates queues by gender, and women are screened in a curtained booth by a female officer. This is standard everywhere and worth knowing so the split queue does not confuse you. Boarding passes are stamped at security, and you genuinely need that stamp to board.

Ask for the शिकायत काउंटर and get a written reference. As with anything bureaucratic in India, a piece of paper with a number on it is worth more than any verbal assurance, and airlines will ask for it at every subsequent contact.

The arrivals hall is where you will meet the most persistent touts of your trip. The प्रीपेड टैक्सी counter is a government-run booth where you pay a fixed fare in advance and receive a slip — it removes negotiation entirely and is the standard advice from Indians for late-night arrivals. A firm, repeated नहीं धन्यवाद works better than explanation.

Indian airports are unusually social. Entire families come to see one person off or receive them, so arrivals halls are crowded with people holding garlands and flowers. Note that only ticketed passengers may enter the terminal, which is why the crowd gathers outside — this is a security rule, not disorganisation.

Porters, called कुली, wear numbered red shirts and are officially licensed with fixed rates per bag. Agreeing the number of bags and the price before handing anything over avoids the usual dispute.

One practical detail: many Indian airports require a printed or digital ticket even to enter the building, and security will check it at the door. Have it ready before you reach the entrance rather than digging for it in the queue.

सामान is three even beats and means luggage or goods generally. शिकायत has four beats with the stress spread evenly. ख़ाली carries the raspy nukta kh, commonly softened. जेब is a clean single syllable. And वाली attaches lightly to the preceding word rather than standing alone as a separate beat.

• Negotiating with drivers inside arrivals instead of using the prepaid counter.
• Accepting a verbal promise about lost baggage without a written reference.
• Forgetting the security stamp on your boarding pass.
• Handing bags to a porter before agreeing the number and rate.
• Arriving at the terminal door without a ticket to show at entry.

1. Check in for a flight and request a specific seat.
2. Report lost luggage and ask where to file a complaint.
3. Use वाली to point out four different objects.
4. Refuse a tout three times without engaging further.
5. Ask for the prepaid taxi counter and the fare to the city.