It's one thirty on a December afternoon and after two years we are on our way to Bangalore by train this time . We take a slow train so armed with magazines and things to eat we board. The train has dull brown seats,faded interiors and is not clean (not to my standards in any case). With enough time to kill I indulge in my pet pastime of peoples watching. The first interesting people I spy are pretty unique. A young couple,he in shorts,a loose t shirt,flip flops and an interesting bandana on his head. She is in all black jeans t shirt and pullover,hair tied back in no nonsense ponytail. The reason I watch then is that the girl is talking non stop with a great deal of animation but it evokes not a single response from the boy. His expression is one of bored tolerance and not a single other emotion crosses his face,nor does he respond verbally. Strangely this had no effect on the girl she continues to talk until it's time for the train to move when the boy stirs from his apathy and follows her into the train.....I wonder what kind of relationship they have two individuals communicating despite looking to be in their own private universe.
The train finally moves and we are at once assaulted by food vendors who ply their wares non stop,unfortunately none of them are even remotely healthy,all deep fried and served with oil dripping off them enough to block all arteries with just one look. Having packed a reasonably decent picnic of egg and pork sandwich we are safe from having to eat the stuff.
Now I for one loves peace and quiet ,I love solitude and am more than happy to be in the company of silent adults on train journeys but unfortunately in a train filled to capacity with at least eight hundred passengers this is asking for the moon. I will settle for a bit of silence though but the tv in the cabin is on full blast and weather I want to or not I am forced to listen to whatever is going on. A child in front then sets up a wail that will wake the dead and not just the dead but by the sound of it an entire graveyard. The screaming continues unabated and the parents are either deaf having to listen to it on a daily basis or are so immune as as to not bother. By now I will willingly strangle the child who is giving me a splitting headache and I would do anything to get it to shut up. No such luck and I wonder why parents who are incapable of controlling their kids insist on travelling by public transport. The mother is helpless having another demanding toddler hanging on to her but the grandparents for some inexplicable reason seem to think it's all very cute and in the meanwhile I suffer in silence. Fortunately (we had figured this out ages ago) the mother decide the kid was hungry and shovelled some food into its mouth after which peace reigned.
All that racket has made me need a rest so I fall into a fitful sleep very soon only to be awakened again by food aromas. Deciding its time for tea I order one and have trouble keeping it down. It's one of those over milky,over sugary drinks far removed from what tea ought to taste like but nevertheless I drink it. Finally the passengers are winding down so I sit back and enjoy the view which is pretty green and rich after all this is December and the best time of the year in this state. By the time I write this the sun is dipping into the western horizon and daylight begins to fade,food now has moved from snacks and tea to something more wholesome to do with the time.
Despite the grime,the noise,the dreary and the beautiful landscape I still love train journeys.
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