Sitting in an ac coach of a train and looking out thro the window , I feel like I'm living in an ivory tower watchg the world go by - yet the world outside seems to be headed nowhere - two lone people bicycling their way in opposite directions in a vast open green field ; a railway crossing where an assortment of cycles and bikes are waiting for us to pass so that they can get on with their lives : two drongos surveying the scene from the wire and some bikes and cycles parked below an old mandapa . After a montage of picket fences, old and new towns, vast open spaces, fields, dusty buildings, some huts and encroachments, lakes and trees , the train pulls up at jolarpettai for an unscheduled stop . The smell of cold vadai and upma comes in as breakfast is served .
The old and the young, the sleepy and the silent, the restless and the curious, the bored and the bores , all wake up suddenlty to attack the cold food, not necessarily out of hunger , but just to fulfil the need to do some activity .
A curious kid is still at it - the questions keep coming - idhu traina busa , namba eppo madras povam, nee enna sapre ( is this a train or a bus, when we reach madras - ok the kid said chennai , what are you eating ?)
Some phones ring and loud voices fill the air . A man switches effortlessly between kannada and tamil giving some instructions , another is talking about blackberry phones, the girl next to me is singing besura with her headphones on , aunty close by is reading her favourite magazine .
I shut my mind and look out , but the sun is shining right through . I draw the curtains, close my eyes, put the phone on silent and try to sleep or at least day dream . Another three hours to go to reach Madras .
PS - This is my first ever live post from a train and its the first time I have used my phone - Blackberry to blog . Thankfully, the network is very good . As I travel between Bangalore - Madras (Chennai) every month , I hope to make Shatabdi Musings a monthly feature - hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy posting them
The old and the young, the sleepy and the silent, the restless and the curious, the bored and the bores , all wake up suddenlty to attack the cold food, not necessarily out of hunger , but just to fulfil the need to do some activity .
A curious kid is still at it - the questions keep coming - idhu traina busa , namba eppo madras povam, nee enna sapre ( is this a train or a bus, when we reach madras - ok the kid said chennai , what are you eating ?)
Some phones ring and loud voices fill the air . A man switches effortlessly between kannada and tamil giving some instructions , another is talking about blackberry phones, the girl next to me is singing besura with her headphones on , aunty close by is reading her favourite magazine .
I shut my mind and look out , but the sun is shining right through . I draw the curtains, close my eyes, put the phone on silent and try to sleep or at least day dream . Another three hours to go to reach Madras .
PS - This is my first ever live post from a train and its the first time I have used my phone - Blackberry to blog . Thankfully, the network is very good . As I travel between Bangalore - Madras (Chennai) every month , I hope to make Shatabdi Musings a monthly feature - hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy posting them
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