A train journey

People young and old at the station just wanted to reach their destination

Strategically positioned to get the best of the whiff of air that breezed down, the whirring sound of the rickety gigantic fans protruding from massive pillars, made me drowsy. Beside me people in rows of steel seats sat waiting, eyes fixed on the electronic display boards and plasma TVs that carried train timings and platform numbers. Thank god, Chennai central terminus had enough space to accommodate thousands of commuters. It was close to 10 pm and there was still an hour and more to go before the departure of the Bangalore mail. Through heavy sleep laden eyes, i watched the world passing by, as time crawled. People young and old scurried past, all weighed down by the oppressive summer heat and just wanting to reach their destination. The wayside snacks and juice stalls, were making brisk business as people thronged to quench their thirst or satiate the pangs of hunger.

From time to time the announcements of the arrival or departure of trains rose above the sound of bustling life and yet the tired workers on the platforms under the mosquito nets snuggly tucked in, slept through, oblivious to the surrounding din.

My mind went back to the past three days. Sitting through the sessions from morning to evening had been quite tiring but the enriching experience and the knowledge gained through the interaction with people from across the length and breadth of the country, not to forget the friends we had made, had been worthwhile. And how Chennai had grown! driving on the Old Mamalapuram Road or popularly known as the IT corridor had been sheer bliss. The 20 km stretch of a well asphalted road lined by renowned IT giants, luxurious hotels, sprawling condominiums and neatly laid out gardens had transported us to another world.

Jerked to the present by the voice announcing the arrival of our train, we jumped up and hurried down the platform. After a walk which seemed the length of the train itself, we found our compartment and got in, relieved to get respite from the heat and not too pleasant smells of railway stations.

The next minute my husband was in the seventh heaven, too exhausted to wait for the TTE who came and left as quietly after examining the tickets, a little later. Within no time the lights were turned off as everyone hit the sack. The gentle rocking of the train as it sped along was enough to send us into a deep slumber.

Before we knew it, cantonment station had come and we scrambled out in haste. Suddenly my husband hopped back into the train and through the glass window I could see him rummaging through the white sheets. And just then to my dismay, the train began to leave the platform as I watched helplessly. Picking up speed, it was now almost drawing out of the station, when like a long movie shot, out of the shadows of the dim hours of dawn, emerged the outline of my husband’s figure! phew! was i relieved!