From here to anywhere in my train…
Traveling by train for the first time
At 20, Bombay brought my love for trains and stations from heart to the skin.There were not just outgoing trains but local trains too. Wow !
Also, my rendezvous with the first ever modern railway platforms of India. But despite my ocean deep respect for railways, due to my train crazy anxiety’s application of projectile motion to my stupidity, I had forgotten to purchase the Nerul to Vashi ticket only to get caught by a ticket checker. And all of this in front of the one, I had crush on ! Uff 🙂 Anyway all said and done, it is the local train where lies the spirit of Bombay, the story of the daily traveler, the marathi manus and the smell of seafish.
Then came the toy train of Ooty, the skytrain of Bangkok, hill train of Penang and underground, upper ground trains of Europe (Raileurope) in my life. I just need to practice a bit more to continuously look at the same scientist from Sheffield throughout my underground travel from Paris to London, otherwise the hygiene, the comfort levels, the sophistication and the surrounding beauty do make one become an ardent fan of train travel, in Europe.
Train Travel India
Indian railway story is amusing too .The people,the bookstalls, the emotions and the FOOD with the FLIES. Even with my parents’ level of ‘hygiene quotient’ I never had any stomach infection then, the best immunization that the platform food provides. Ironically, it was the ‘palak pakoda chat’ of Taj Indore which had invaded my stomach first. For the best quality immunization, I can think of Gurgaon platform during summers, on my journey to Rajasthan.
Unfortunately the encounter with my son’s pediatric who finds trains extremely infectious, has encouraged the hypochondriac in me now .
Railway Stations are where I have let my thought kytoons go beyond the sky, courtesy Indian train timings. They are, where i have screamed to the best of my vocal chord’s ability in the name of songs with school friends. Trains are where I’ve met the helpers, the advisers, the cockroaches, also the ones who read murder mystery when am the only one sitting across in AC 2nd Class of ‘Sampark Kranti’.
And then, there comes the railway track where I have fallen with a schoolmate who tried to pull me up to get on to the platform. Detest boys who can’t manage the girl’s weight:-) Platforms are also the places where I’ve been practicing to beat Preeja Sreedharan since last 1 year.
great..loved it..