Journey Tale

I have been troubling my mom by asking her to switch either lights or fans on and off from past three hours. The moody nature is to be blamed as at times I want to read or write and next moment I want to doze off. My hands won’t reach switches.

I am travelling from Pune to Bangalore by train with my mother. I can see her enjoying ice-cream from my upper seat. This is a bye-bye sort of journey as we are leaving Pune to settle in Bangalore.

It was a lovely morning with partly clouded sky, when with bags and lots of entangled strands of memories in heart we had started. I had spent past 9 precious years of my life in Pune, say all my teenage. Oh! Pune you will always be juvenile in my memory.

Reaching Pune Junction I wondered, at one end we have those seemingly insignificant and yet charming little halts known as wayside stations where an express would not even so much as care to slow down while passing, let alone halt. On the other hand there are these great centres of railway activity “the junction stations” spread over several acres of land which deal with hundreds of thousands of passengers each day.

I had enough time, so, I bought myself a few magazines and newspaper for saving myself from the boredom of 18hours journey plus the added waiting time on station. Though reading in moving bus or train isn’t sensible but acting sense is kind of less enjoyable.

Pune Junction From Different Angles

With every tick of clock, the face of crowd changes, many eyes meet and many separate. Not only that each hour of the night and day has an almost incessant whirl of activity: swarms of people crowding platforms, trains arriving and leaving, red-shirted porters carrying piles of luggage, trains being shunted, engines whistling and wagons clanging, all under the supervision of a few hundred men working towards the common goal of maintaining a smooth flow of passengers and goods.

Mixed emotions, different noises and smell of nibbles fill in the atmosphere. Local snacks adorn the platforms on Thelas or window shops, though there isn’t lot of variety of food but hunger can be dealt with. Among all sounds my favourite is “DING DONG” jingle which never becomes history, we still hear announcements in stations escorted between DING DONG(s). Have you ever thought why there is always a female voice behind the mic asking for your kind attention? It’s because the pitch of female voice helps to reach the ears of masses better. Women empowering fact!!

After waiting impatiently, train came screaming. Everyone greeted it with their gleaming smiles. I could see cloud of passengers racing towards their seats through entrance, it reminded me of how we used to run for grabbing the window seats in school buses in school days, but now the situation was little different the window seats were allotted, the fate was written!! With the help of a decent guy I juggled our luggage inside the train and there in the middle of the birth I found my seat welcoming me with a window seat. Thank you God! One relief. Everyone settled into their seats. Soon, the engine at the front gave out a high-pitched whistle as though it was getting impatient of the long wait. Indeed, there is no reason why it should wait any longer. There was an air of excitement, a feeling that something momentous is about to take place as one heard the engine hissing. Slowly at first, then picking up speed till at last the voices of those around station were drowned in a thunderous roar as the Mail hurried on towards its goal hundreds of miles away.

There are these bunch of four chirpy men playing cards and making every possible funny noise which is to be interpreted as their laughter. Whole afternoon they were cracking jokes and laughing like comedians in different pitch and tunes. I am sitting on top seat sacrificing my window seat to scribble in my diary, I am just making note of their behaviour from what I hear. The truth is even I wanted to play with them that now I look six years younger with my short hair and as such I won’t look stupid if I ask them I thought, but mum gave me that annoyed look when I shared my thought and then I had to drop the noble idea. I thought I’d rather stay in company of my magazines and my diary.

Whole berth is full of crazy different people including me. There is this little kid who is not at all crazy who keeps peeping and sparkles cute smile like little angel irrationally. There is this young lady who is dress conscious and I can’t avoid myself from noticing her and writing about her. At one moment I see her draped by a warm wrap and second in her flashy pink top. I guess she is getting bored and just trying to keep herself busy in one way, good for her.  

 I can perceive from distance one guy is solving crossword in newspaper, one elderly person is silent with peace on his face, viewing out of the window I guess glancing at the changing view of the world . I can’t see but can hear at distant few rational group of people are having their own parliament topic of discussion unknown but with questioning, debating, disagreements and explanations it’s crystal vibrant that they are having diverse opinions. I like such discussions but only from a distance.

The best part while travelling by train is when you look out of the window. I remember, as kids I and my brother loved peeking out of the window, we used to check the length of train during a big turn and counted bogies of another train passing by. The world through window moves fast.Fuming Industries, affluent racecourses, vivid farms, active towns, stranded hills, waving trees, busy workers, dry riverbeds, guarding metal bridges, running wind mills, all come and vanish behind. Identifying the name of crop or vegetation growing from color and pattern, counting the number of temples encountered, looking at watch calculating the total time of travel and time left, reading name of places and familiarizing ourselves, recalling facts and adoring colorful views. I simply enjoy this phase of journey

Few minutes ago when I had got lazy reading and when I was done observing the mass, I tried to take rest by dreaming with my eyes closed but alas! I couldn’t keep my ears closed. After every two seconds vendors with different sets and kinds of so called digestible foodstuffs keep coming and serve people with their infected mud stained hands. I save myself from the service but all can’t resist the pungent smell and sight of pile of alluring colourfully adorned tangy foodstuff. More than pacifying the hunger of less than average brained travellers they do the fine job of waking you up.

Oh! Am I getting annoyed? I assume only very restless or may be just hungry!

Its dinner time and I will get down and reward myself with homemade sweets and snacks. After a tiring journey day my senses need little fun. And after my dinner I will go and play with my angel who hasn’t stopped being cute with smiles.