Trains

there’s something so categorically distinct about travelling by a train. the sheer ruckus that preludes the actual journey, goes on to say so much about who we are as people. it is making sure that everything is in place: have we forgotten dadi’s saris? have we forgotten the box of motichoor laddoos? it is about leaving on time because no platform is ever so kind as to rid itself of traffic, or the screams of the kooli bhaiyas. there will be hundreds of people readying themselves to leave a place behind, either to explore something new or rediscover a part of themselves they keep safely hidden, away from prying eyes. it is also safe to say that these journeys will involve some amount of dramatic running, or at least a sprint to sweat your glands— you can always miss a train. but once you look past the initial misfortunes of travelling by a train: the plentiful garbage, blaring speaker phones, the possibly dirty seats— it is a journey like no other. it brings with itself the setting of the sun, as it’s fading rays hit your face on those final moments on ground. it’s about the old, rusted, eccentric houses you see through the window on your seat; a window that allows an entire natural landscape, an entire geographical territory to pass right before your eyes without you moving an inch. it’s about the wondrous people you meet— a family sitting across, gleefully enjoying theplas or the reflection of an old friend you never wanted to leave, glistening in the girl lying down on the upper berth. but most importantly, the journey from a train is about finding those which you travel with. it can be about those hours of solitude: a novel you’re looking forward to, a new album, a writing spree. it can be about the group: the lame, useless jokes that fill up the compartment, the science of making your own food and then filling yourself up with every last morsel of it, or costing yourself on a seat you know you won’t fit in but somehow, it manages to carry you through. travelling by a train is discovery and nostalgia all at the same time. it is about travelling where your heart desires, travelling to you, travelling to home.