Last week when I came to Bangalore from Chennai by train, it brought back old memories of my school and college life when I used to go home by train. It has been almost two years since my last train journey, and this journey though short was a pleasant reminder of how unique a journey it is. It reminded me of the weird fans that are found only in trains(and my hostel room :(( ). It reminded me that trains are the only place
– where you sometimes travel with your head bent because the guy in middle berth wants to sleep early.
– where the next stop is not announced by a sweet husky voice but is up to you to figure it out. Most likely by asking the guy next to you or by straining your neck to try to make out the name of the station from the yellow post at the end of the platforms.
– where you could watch the scenery changing with the blink of the eye.
– where the question “where are you going to?” made sense.
– where traveling for 30 hrs didn’t mean a trip around the world.
– where you would meet 10 sets of six different people within one journey.
– where you were free to carry as much weight as you wanted and didn’t have to pay the TC for the extra luggage.
– where no one cared if you carried petrol(though illegal), knife, scissors or 1000 oz of toothpaste. You could even brandish the knife and no one would give a second look unless you are cutting mangoes. Yummm.
– where you actually had to be careful about being drugged and robbed by thieves.
– where traveling in the morning meant sharing your seat with the honorable “pass holders”.
– where people brought food on their head and not in trolley, served biriyani+curd made in canteen of the train not a 3 course 5 star hotel meal, and had no forks, spoons, chocolate or even the after dinner coffee.
– where sleeping on a full bed didn’t mean business class(actually AC chair-car is more expensive than sleeper)
– where the shaking of the train was not followed by an announcement of bad weather/ bad rail construction
– where the passenger list is not a top-secret( you can actually know the name/age/sex of everyone on the train)
– where a 1/2 ticket still makes sense(though I always needed age proof)
– where reaching two minutes before departure was acceptable and was actually common practice.
– where boarding gates didn’t close even after departure.( a fact used by our dear Gannu)
– where entertainment system meant two kids singing “Pardesi Pardesi” using two pieces of tiles.
– where you can get nagpur’s oranges, bharuch na sing(peanuts) without even getting off in these cities.
– where you would be shown things that you dont want to see and would pay “it” anything for “it” to stop. (Ask any Gujju – NITT’06)
– where you could stop the train, whenever you wanted.(Make sure to run fast after that)
– where no one cared even if you are at footsteps with all your luggage before even the platform is visible, forget about the train “coming to an absolute halt”
– where no one showed you the emergency exits or how to use them.
– where your ticket is checked only once by a TC and not by every Tom, Dick and Hari.
– where kids could run in the alleys without upsetting anyone.
– where even if the sweltering heat is melting your seat, you never complained to the TC, as you are too busy playing cards with your friends
– where it wasn’t awkward discussing your entire itinerary, reason for visit, why your son didn’t go for an MBA with a total stranger on the next seat.
Makes you think, when did travel become a pain ??
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