Day Two - Memories

Today was a day of memories and quiet reflection. After all what else is one supposed to when cooped up inside a railway compartment?

I had checked the timetable in wiki and had also confirmed with the Ticket Inspector that we would be reaching Vijayawada at around 10.15 today morning. The greenish daylight streaming through the tinted glass of the window woke up me a long before that and I readied myself for a ritual I would be continuing after a gap of 16 or so years.

Until my fifth standard when I joined my school, the Bhavan's Vidya Mandir at Eroor, Tripunithura I used to live at New Delhi. Father was employed at Indian Airlines there and mother did her post graduation studies there. Until the last few years of my life a Dilli walla, as my maternal grandpa used to call me, the annual train ride from Delhi to Kerala and back was a routine affair. In the last years, viz, 1993, 1994 and 1995 the journey was made through flight.

However those train rides are amongst the most memorable events of my childhood. It was a tradition taught to me by my father that whenever we go through the railway bridge over River Krishna near Vijayawada Station we throw coins into the river. Mostly it was done from the window, but I do have a vague memory of a frightening throw from the open door of the compartment. Only once did I miss throwing of the coins and it marred my mood for the rest of the journey.

This time as a hefty heavy 24 year old, no more being a pussy and throwing the coin from the window. Besides windows in AC compartments can't be opened. So there I stood by the open door of the slowing train looking into the vast river below me. The sound of the echoing wheels magnified by the resonance of river bed was a scintillating experience. Adventurous I might purport myself to be, but foolhardy I am not, so it was only after maintaining a firm grip and even firmer foothold that I flung the 2 rupee coin to the depths of the river, hopefully never to be touched by a human hand again. Hopefully.

As I returned back to my seat and looked around at my fellow passengers settling down for the day, I thought back towards the various memories associated with these trips. Back then I was supposed to be a boisterous and rather cheeky little devil, insinuations I strongly oppose with threats of libel nowadays. But it was a truth that I mingled a lot more with people. I remember the Air Force guy who was the split image of movie star Mammootty. I had actually thought it was the legendary "Woody Shoveler" himself that I felt too intimidated to approach him. Finally collecting whatever courage I had at my 6 years of age, I went and talked to him. Turned out he is an Air Force guy, a Malayali going back home. For the next three days we were inseparable, always talking to each other, going to my parents only for food and sleep. I still remember him showing me his driving license which had him as an unrecognizable teen with a shaven head. Wonder where he is now!

Then of course there is that interesting young couple whose supposedly mysterious antics have revealed themselves to me as an adult. At that time, I just thought them such a nice and charming "Chetan" (brother) and "Chechi" (sister) who were both sleeping on the same middle berth. How uncomfortable! Why couldn't they sleep in their own individual berths? They would have been so much more comfortable. These puzzling questions are now revealed to the merriment of my dirty mind.

Another memory is that of the two youth with whom I had developed a great friendship. However since this bonhomie caused me to forget and miss throwing the coin into River Krishna, as mentioned earlier I was sullen forthwith.

All these memories of a long past childhood is awakened in me by the day's journey. The boisterousness that I was accused of having back then has long been extinct.

Rest of the day was spent mainly sleeping, reading and generally day dreaming by me. Only in the past few minutes have I been able to access the net. Apparently the glories to Airtel did not reach their headquarters. Might as well catch a few more winks as tomorrow is going to be a very busy day.