Those lovely train journeys

"S12 seat no 3 ," I reminded myself as the train came to a screeching halt unsettling the dust above the tracks . "Ah , there it is ," I heaved a sigh of relief as I settled down at the window seat . It was a tiring day . I had come to pune for a b school interview and was on my way back home . And it was extremely tiring because I had the interview in the morning and had to rush to the station in order to make it in time . Finally , its back to good old chennai , and since my interview had gone extremely well, the three letter word-MBA dreams had just started . And do I get a better place than a window seat at a 2nd class coach .

Well the first thing that any 23 year old guy traveling in a train would do is to look around for the 'birds'. As always , I was unlucky . The same old question popped up " fucking , why doesn't it happen to me " .... Right across me were an aged couple , must be in their 70's I guess . And just eaves dropping a bit , I figured out that they were going to tirupati . "lord venkat , You have again let me down " I mumbled . Beside me were two foreign tourists as always with a huge bag double their size , a torn banyan and a hawai slipper ( we call ppl with the same outfit of our origin a different name ...but its always different when it is them ) and a talked a version of english which made me doubt as to whether the version we had was really "English " ( When I was young I used to marvel when my bestfriend told me that even beggars in England could speak English while we were struggling with our english lessons...silly me) ...the one opposite me was vacant and so were the 2 side berths . "Maybe lord venkat still has something in his mind ...Your games are special and incomprehensible to humans " I thought with a tone resembling that of my granny .

'"Excuse me," a young lady spoke as I lifted my leg resembling a ' just-stamped-fresh-cowdung' pose while she pushed in a huge bag under my seat . Aha , though she would be rated as average , I decided not to complain as something was better than nothing . Sometimes I really am a contended guy . And the young lady , went outside and started speaking with an older one . "Ma , don't worry ..I am safe out here . Will definitely come there next month . I have kept the food under your seat and don't forget to take your tablets " . So now I understood lord venkats plan . It was her mom who was the passenger and not the one whom I wanted .Well , I take back my words , I am definitely not the contended one ...

And now occupying the vacant side berth , were an old lady , a newly married couple( I guessed by her prominent "thaali") and a young guy in his 20's . The old lady whom I guess was the mother was pale and I could see her mumbling something to her daughter . The other guy who had torn pants , and a worn out shirt was her brother . They had come to see off the newly married couple . They must have been from a very poor family , which was evident from the dress they wore . Hidden beneath the ruggedness of his face , I could see the pain of missing someone and though I didn't understand a single word of what he spoke , I knew that he loved his sister . And their conversation was held in a manner that I thought at any moment someone would break down and cry . But everyone sat still , with plethora of emotions hidden under their faces . I looked at them slowly realizing that true love indeed was not just reserved for the movies . More than the words that were audible , their eyes spoke a language which was not audible but could only be felt . And somehow even I could feel it .

A few minutes later the whistle went . The mother and brother gave a look which somehow , strangely was a mixture of both happiness and sadness. They got down from the train while the other mother who had come with her daughter took her seat before me ." brindha , take your meals properly ...and call me daily ...do take care of my daughter she is like a child " the old lady spoke in a choking voice through the grills straining her voice so that it would reach her daughter sitting at the side berth...soon the words were replaced by her sobs ...."Ma ,I miss you " the gal waved a tata while her eyes were trying to deceive the tears which were held back...

The train started ... and the guy started running along with the train trying to catch a glimpse of her sister for every extra second was priceless . He came running and soon before he lost his race with the speed of the train he shouted " I love you ma" ...and finally the rugged face broke down . I sat still as I saw him disappear amongst the crowd . The gal started sobbing and lay on her husbands thighs as he consoled her . A drop of tear eluded the misty eyes of the lady who was sitting in front of me , thinking about her daughter . The pain of missing loved ones is very harsh , indeed . In a world ruled by money , there is still an inevitable place for love , and right in front of me were the people who make the journey called life worthwhile all along. We all miss a few loved ones and in case we are lucky enough , few people will miss us too . I was missing someone too...

I just kept staring and didn't know why even I had been deeply moved . Well , sometimes even those who are noway related to us , affect us . Today was such a day .

"India is a beautiful country and Indian people are lovely " I heard the foreigner speak....
Very true , we are lovely people indeed ( and sometimes very emotional too) ......

Well , these train journeys , how much ever mundane they may be , nevertheless they are always beautiful .They always have a surprise in store for us . A bunch of foreigners all set to explore our countryside, an old couple who had seen everything in life and were in search of moksha in the temples of India , a young couple all set to start a new life with an iota of hope and the joy-of-love gleaming through their moist eyes , a mother who was missing her daughter , and at last a young guy with dreams of becoming a manager someday ....The eclectic mix of people and emotions always adds to the aura and liveliness of these journeys..

These are not just simple train journeys . They are more like the journey of life . The journeys are the same for all of us ...But however the stories are different ...For few its about missing their loved ones , for few its about adventure , for some its a routine way of life ,and for some it carries hope of a new life ....

Nevertheless , with each and every journey starts a new dream , a new hope and a new destiny...Keep traveling and keep enjoying these simple pleasures that our evergreen Indian railways has to offer us ...