The Rail Gaadi...

This may sound bizarre to many but I have always had a soft corner for Indian Railways. All because of the countless fond memories entwined. It is March 1988 with final exams round the corner. Yet, I am happy, as I look forward to our annual family trip to Trivandrum. My father's LTA allowed us to make a trip every year to his hometown, and thankfully he was wise enough to declare it in the other corner of the country. It is actually my mother's. After going through my school calendar, we finally zero in on the day of departure and count 30 days backwards to to locate the opening day for ticket reservation. Thanks to the population, all tickets get sold on the very first day. So dad decides to queue up at the crack of dawn to avoid the disappointment.

Zap!! And here we are a day before the journey. Mom is busy packing the gifts she has been shopping for, over a week. She is yet to commence on the food packets to be carried for the journey. Eating from the pantry is a strict no-no. But how I longed for the pantry food in steel plates covered by silver foil. Despite being warned of bad manners, I would occasionally steal a glance while the co passengers dined the apparently tasty food.

We start 2 hours well in advance before the departure. After all, traffic on the Howrah bridge is jam packed. Man!! Everything is fresh in my memory. The excitement in the wait before the journey, far surpassed the joy at arrival at destination. Rust colored bogies with yellow interiors, totally crammed with passengers beyond capacity, not to mention the endless streak of vendors screaming "Chaye!! Koffee!!" at full volume throughout day and night-I remember them all. The visual delight in those yellow 0 watt bulbs and the good for nothing fans (which needed a poke with a comb for a startup) are worth more to me, today, than the fancy lighting and air conditioned interiors of an airplane. Afterall, the only option is to sit and stare, at the elderly air hostess (if it is Indian/Deccan) who serves you with a conspicuous muttering behind her made up smile.

I got to relive those moments, again, during college days. An equally long journey from Trichy to Kolkata and the return back, were more than a treat to celebrate the the end of semesters. All students traveling to AP/Orissa/WB/NE occupied almost the complete bogie. Each one making attempts to vie for the scarce supply of girls in the batch, for one more last time. Of course, how could we forget the eunuchs blackmailing us with exposure to blinding sights if not paid suitably(We did find a way around finally!) Also is attached, those memories of mixed feelings when you bid goodbye to parents at the station while looking forward to another wonderous journey.

Gosh!! I look back and say, how foolish was I not to relish those moments. The best I can do now, is to look forward to my next 18 hour flight back home after 15 unending months, guessing all the while who is going to be the pretty lady on next seat (Alas!! there is no way to check, as we used to, on the passenger list near the toilet window for F 18 s).