Thursday, February 23, 2006,7:22 PM
From my window seat
I love trains, I would spend my entire life in a train , there's so much charm and fun traveling through Indian country side, there is such a lot of activity, every one is busy doing something, playing cards or other games, boys and girls palying ANTAKSHARI (its a game of songs, sometimes it becomes a pain or noisy if it continues through the night) You have a steady flow of eats, hawkers selling almost everything, fruits vegetable (fresh from countryside) munches, books maps, toys, you can even get nail cutters safety pins, comfort is not my priority, but nothing like having a window seat. Now you have mobile phones, They suddenly remember their grand mothers and call them. Sometimes ten fifteen guys would be talking at a time, A railway coach is a mad house, in north its pretty chaotic., I have seen people cooking chappatis, though the railways are doing their best to put an end to it. In Gujrat people eat almost all the time, they bring large tin cans of food stuff. My journey back home was pretty comfortable. Here are some pictures taken from my window seat.
There is a steady stream of beggers, and you can do nothing about it, some times you see exceptional talent there, all sorts of tricks I have seen a blind man playing flute in Kovai Express from Jolarpet to Erode, I keep following him through all the coaches, leaving my things and camera bag on my seat, a stupid thing to do. I caught him once, we sat by the door our feet dangling outside the train and Kovai express going full speed and our friend playing the flute through the deafening noise of the tracks, bought him a coffee and gave him some money, At Erode he gets off the train, he doesn't ask if its Erode, he knows. Though I travelled through the same segment yeaterday but I did not find him. Amazing talent. Plays only film songs. Here the man is playing harmonium and the woman is singing, it was a pain. A real torture.
Daylight Again.
posted by rauf
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Loved gazing at the photos & reading your descriptions.
If the man playing harmonium & woman singing were such a pain & torture, how is that guy sleeping? :D
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Pics are very nice..My favorite third from the top :-)
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Rauf
Train travel is really interesting, with lot of surprises and collection of events. What I don't like is the dirty toilets, sometimes - no water and holes in the toilet walls. I do recollect a lot of events on my journey to Guwahati and Delhi.
Rins
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Patty, I sleep with all the chaos and deafening noise around. The guy is sleeping in comfort, I have slept standing with hardly any elbow room in a crowded train, please don't let this scare you.
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Thank you Sangita, the pictures may not be sharp as they were taken from a speeding train.
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Rinsila Wattoo ? Yes specially in the long distance trains, I normally clean up for others like I do at home, I pour a lot of water when I see water being filled at stations. Its a pain if i get a seat near the toilette. But I keep my mind away.
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Rauf...u make me miss home...and u make me miss train travel..which is even worse!its simply overwhelming...train travel is the best!!u r so right.
Great Pictures.
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Amazing landscapes. And pictures too.
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I like the journey more than arriving e2dees, going back home is a joy in itself.
Please don't let your life become mechanical, this happend to all my friends who have gone there and they all end up becoming insensitive to little joys of life.
Please create enough time to do what you love doing.
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Thank you Imemine, I love the traffic too
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fantastic pictures rauf ... your pics being so crisp says a lot about how comfortable you are on trains that rock so much ... did you know our trains are introducing frequent traveller mileage benefits ?
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Nrver heard of it Suresh, Do I have to preserve the tickets ? How do I claim that benifit ? I'd love to have that.
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Loved gazing at the photos & reading your descriptions.
If the man playing harmonium & woman singing were such a pain & torture, how is that guy sleeping? :D