Indian Railways - The real India lives there

I was looking forward to a break this weekend. My vacations kinda din go according to plan. The dream FILM never took off. It was very disheartening to see a whole load of planning go down the drain.

I reached Manipal on the 8th of Jan. Ever since, our whole college has been busy with our college fest Article 19. There has been a cascade of good and bad news all along. Things are going ok, and i really hope it churns out the way we have been planning.

In between, ma friends had left for Goa.FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, and Worried Parents = No GOA!!

So, when my folks told me that they would be reaching India on the 31st, i was ecstatic. The Break was ON... finally...

I took the train to Kannur at 7.30. I couldn't get a sleeper class ticket. The general compartment was cramped like always. I gingerly steeped in, because i love traveling comfortably. There were no seats available, hence i decided to rely on my powers on observation to entertain myself, and it's only then i realized, how culturally dynamic India really is.

I saw some really colorful people, Some of them were drunk beyond imagination, some were depressed and lonely, some slept on the floor, some of them smoked beedi, while some sang songs.Some read about Obama, some vociferously blasted George Bush. Every now and then, i also came across working professionals, most of them frowning. Traveling everyday can be expensive, and it so avidly showed on their face.

I reached home, and out of the blue sprung a trip to Chennai. Sleep, good food and rest went out of the window. Another 16 hours of trains..the bags were packed.. and exactly 16 hours later, i was at the same station.. OFF to Chennai!

This time, i was allotted a ticket in the AC compartment. I was just reminiscing my journey 2 days back. There was a phantom shift in people. Families, young couples, businessmen, laptops, i pods, trendy phones and a lot of pleasant faces. I assumed they were all very happy. Some of them slept throughout the journey, while others involved themselves in interesting discussions. Once again Obama was the center of discussion, among a group of elderly friends. That's the human thought in a nut shell, we all discuss the same issues, the ambiance may differ, the may people may vary.. but the discussions are mystically inter connected.

We reached Chennai in the evening. We had to meet a few people there, and after that we traveled across the city. We went to the Marina beach, and GOD. its huge! We also visited M.G.R's(a famous Tamil actor) tomb. A beautifully built structure, me and ma dad walked along the pavement, and discussed how stars become demi-gods in Chennai... We saw a few churches, and headed straight back to the railway station.

Our train was scheduled to leave at 11.30a.m. We settled ourselves amidst a confusing set of seat numbers in the train. There was a pretty girl sitting next to us. I kinda figured that she was traveling alone. Oh ya, forgot to mention, i was completing my cycle of compartments with this trip, i was traveling via sleeper class to Kannur.

A few minutes later a drunk old man came and sat next to her, a few minutes later i heard her scream, the poor old man was a little too tempted seeing the pretty girl. He tried grabbing her leg(Testosterone and its effects), ma bro immediately informed the cops. The old man was too drunk to even realize that cops were screaming at him. She said thanks... and a few hours later, we had a engaging conversation. She spoke about her love and admiration for Prophet Mohammed, She told me how she loathed Chethan Bhagats books,Her love for Biographies and books related to reality We spoke about Khaled Husseini, Feminism, Her half German-half Mallu boyfriend who was her ex Boyfriend's best friend,her lovw for runnig log distances and her wish to Swim in Kannur's beaches.

There was also a dental student, traveling wit us in the same coach, who spoke a lot to my family. She spoke about her love for Chethan Bhagat's books, her love for Fiction, her adulation for Sidney Sheldon, and how she planned to join the army once she completed her course.

I reached Kannur at 2 in the morning.Sleep deprived,tired, and irritated, i got off. As the train slowly began to move, i realized, that India. lives in its Trains....