Train rolls on...

There's something about train journeys that is so very enriching.
At least in those times when there are no cranky children trying to hide under your berth; or a group of women talking animatedly about jewellery, utensils and of course, other women; or a bunch of schoolguys who (on one of their hourly supervisions of the entire train) have just spotted a good-looking girl some 5 coaches away, and are now scheming wildly on ways to grab her attention...

Assuming the absence of such distractions, there's a lot of soul-searching that people can generally undertake as the metal giant traverses across varying landscapes.

As the train passes through those primarily agricultural lands, all you see around is vegetation, of some kind or the other. And the shadows of the Sun criss-cross through those trees and shrubs in a way that reminds us of all those memories that do the same dance within our minds. Or the way in which the Sun hides itself behind a tree or a lamppost, and is back in a second. Feels so much like Hope, as it leaves us sometimes but then we grab it back immediately, knowing very well that it is perhaps Hope that sustains life on this planet; much like the Sun…

And as it passes in front of some houses that are built on either side of the tracks, a sense of sympathy emerges towards those who have to bear with this sound for so many times during the day.
Perhaps they are now in a stage that they ignore it; or perhaps they are not disturbed by it anymore as they are so used to it; or perhaps they do curse their situations for having placed them there; but in all cases, we do understand this about their predicament (and hence, vicariously, we can extend it to our own existence) – no matter what you do, sometimes you just have to learn to live with life…

Equally interesting are times when you see the sea of faces waiting at the gates (well, actually waiting on either side of the gates – the more adventurous ones being closer to the train). In that huge mass (and the train is generally slower as the station is approaching), you can see yourself in almost every stranger’s face – as they wait, some patiently (after all it’s a train, not a small bus); some annoyingly (why did the damn train had to have 50 coaches?); some optimistically (it’s just a train, it will pass); some pessimistically (why does a train have to be there everytime I cross this road?); some with awe and wonder (it’s surprising to witness the efficiency of Indian railways); some with boredom (Oh no, a train again?).

And the remaining with a mixture of emotions on their faces as they try to use this time to run through all the things that have been on their minds (prices of potatoes have risen again; how much amount should be spent on a brother’s daughter’s marriage next week; what’s the best way to lose weight?; what the best way to find the next meal?).
In the kaleidoscope of those strangers’ eyes, you can find shades of your own…

Trains can actually be closer to life than we perhaps realize…