Train journeys

Train journey brings back lots of old memories. Those summer vacations when we travelled 60 hours from varanasi to palakkad via chennai. Trip that would start with excitement of having frooti or limca, filled with fun playing cards, roaming around the train compartment, jumping from one berth to another, lying down and reading comics to magazines to novels. We would get tired by the end of second day due to terrible heat, again to be filled with joy of reaching our hometown as we cross the walayar border. I was always amazed how the breeze could change so abruptly as we enter kerala.

Then there are innumerable trips from trivandrum to trichur or palakkad during college days.  Those were times of getting concession forms from college, rushing to railway reservation counter the day ticket booking opens especially onam and Christmas. And there were occasions when there would be flash strikes or hartals that would give unexpected long weekends. Finishing classes, sometimes bunking them, rushing to the station and wriggling in the crowd to get into the unreserved coaches.

There were evenings spent looking at reservation charts trying to find f21 to f25 near our seats. Walking on the platform searching for batch mates. Few of the trips were spent talking almost past midnight disturbing fellow travellers.

Then came a time of travelling alone spending most of the time on the upper berth sleeping, barely interacting with anybody else.

Most recent ones are similar to the very first ones. Not so long. Neither so much fun. But understanding the role my dad used to play in those. Booking tickets, packing, ensuring that we don't miss the train, carrying the most luggage, making sure they are safe at night etc.

Today I am traveling alone. Feeling nostalgic. Everybody around enjoying in all those ways as I mentioned earlier. I watch them with envy yet smile deep within remembering all those good days.

Bon voyage

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IIT VIRASAT 2006 - SPIC MACAY

SPIC MACAY - Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth It is one of the societies that I have appreciated the most in IIT. The best thing about SPIC MACAY is the IIT VIRASAT festival that is organised every year. It is a week long programme where eminent artists of Indian Classical music and dance perform in IIT campus. A festival that gives us an exposure to the pure forms of music and dance (the film music, albums and rock are all modified versions of the classical form). In the year 2004, I was first exposed to SPIC MACAY during the VIRASAT festival. I attended almost all the events, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Last year, I missed all the events primarily because of lack of company. (I hate going alone). That being the background about SPIC MACAY and me, let us now see how it all changed this year. IIT VIRASAT 2006, was held from 27th Feb to 10th March. As usual there were notices of weekly meetings. Each of these contained an appeal for volunteers t
Read more

Tea in a teapot

If I had fought And not got caught I would have taught My little tot Rather than rot In a prison so hot. I resolved that I ought To find a slot For an escape plot When the gaurds would not Fire a gunshot. Help, I sought From the General's daught Whom I thought Was a sexpot. Either she forgot Or did boycott But I waited a lot at the fixed spot. Tired, I got Ready for a bloodshot When I bethought That I was on a cot And my mom had brought Tea in a teapot.
Read more

Whats on the menu

How many times have we looked at the right hand side of the menu card before ordering a dish? A recent observation during one of my trips to a restaurant is that we tend to look at the price tag associated with what we order (even though very not very conscious about it). And then this idea came up. A concept restaurant where the menu has items segregated in categories. There is a minimum price tag associated with each category and a maximum. Exact cost of the dish that you order is not given on the menu. Open your heart and order your meal and worry about the bill when it comes up. To add some more spice to this, the cost of each item shall not be fixed. It varies in real time depending upon the demand for that dish. If an item is ordered by many the cost goes up (as it shows that it is a popular dish here, it could be our speciality too). As technology advances and we have digital menu, we can give the customers the listing of the items in the menu according to this statistic
Read more