On Journeys...part1
One of the things I enjoy the most, is to go on long journeys. Back in India, I had the oppurtunity (I should say honour!!) to travel extensively, mostly on trains. One of the fascinating aspects of the journeys was that complete strangers would become friends by the time they depart ( I have had discussions with people who would describe their aspirations, their upcoming music album releases, and yes even marital woes to me by the end of the journey!!) , but would not meet again...How similar it is to our life. We meet so many people and become good friends and yet when the day comes we depart probably never to meet again. All we are left with is good memories and a few lessons.
And its on train journeys that I learnt a lot of my lessons, looked closely at the common man in India. Even on a train journey, one must travel by sleeper class not A/C to see the common man. India can be experienced in the chai walas, chana walas, vendors selling the small trinkets and the beggers displaying their awesome talent at singing and playing an improverised instruments ( I envy their skills!!) . People bargaining, some talking on their cell phones, few reading some novels and magazines on the upper berth maintaining a distance from everyone else, people in crumpled clothes discussing about world bank strategies and Indian foreign policy, existence of god, equivalence of religions or the superiority of one...That is what life for common man in India is like.
One of my favourite berths is the side lower seat that spans two windows and offers a majestic look of the landscape with the comfort of a large leg room! Besides, it is a vantage point from where you can have a careful look at all the wares that vendors (both inside and outside the train) sell! :) The best times are when the train travels at night and one can feel the breeze on ones face and watch lights of distant houses. I get lost in those houses and used to imagine how the life would be going on, perhaps a student studying late night or a family watching TV, or a marriage celebration going on and then I could reflect on my life as an unattatched spectator and often find new meanings and derive inspiration.
And its on train journeys that I learnt a lot of my lessons, looked closely at the common man in India. Even on a train journey, one must travel by sleeper class not A/C to see the common man. India can be experienced in the chai walas, chana walas, vendors selling the small trinkets and the beggers displaying their awesome talent at singing and playing an improverised instruments ( I envy their skills!!) . People bargaining, some talking on their cell phones, few reading some novels and magazines on the upper berth maintaining a distance from everyone else, people in crumpled clothes discussing about world bank strategies and Indian foreign policy, existence of god, equivalence of religions or the superiority of one...That is what life for common man in India is like.
One of my favourite berths is the side lower seat that spans two windows and offers a majestic look of the landscape with the comfort of a large leg room! Besides, it is a vantage point from where you can have a careful look at all the wares that vendors (both inside and outside the train) sell! :) The best times are when the train travels at night and one can feel the breeze on ones face and watch lights of distant houses. I get lost in those houses and used to imagine how the life would be going on, perhaps a student studying late night or a family watching TV, or a marriage celebration going on and then I could reflect on my life as an unattatched spectator and often find new meanings and derive inspiration.
posted by atma_tripta at 9:34 AM
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