It has been a regular routine whenever I traveled in the Kerala Express that whenever I reach Vijayawada Railway Station I throw a coin into the massive Krishna River as the train chugged along the bridge. A habit I learned from my father who used to help me throw the coins accurately into the swirling waters below, it is one that is still quite cherished as one of the landmarks of the New Delhi - Kerala train ride. This is a habit which I have resumed after a gap of nearly 18 years.
Running about 2 hours late, the Kerala Express has just pulled into the Vijayawada Railway Station and October heat is really turning out to be quite stifling. A strange lemon scent floats around the station, no idea from where, as I am starting the blog-a-thon for this ride.
The last week had been an exercise of the utmost strain. On one hand excitement of having finally about to embark on a journey that I have been dreaming for ages, and on the other hand my studied subduing of passions using my innate pessimistic realism where I was gearing up for some mishap or other that would get this trip cancelled. The trepidation came a shade closer to becoming real as a few days before the trip, my father had some liver issues that necessitated a checkup. At the advent of symptoms itself I had mentally geared myself for cancelling the trip, but thanks to God's grace it was a false alarm and he came out of the checkup diagnosed as quite healthy.
My older self would have been actually gushing with excitement during the wait for the train at Ernakulam Junction Railway Station not the least as the train chugged out of the city. However it was with a welcome detachment that I have been able to take this journey, a detachment that I believe would only lend greater sweetness to this dream journey.
It has been an interesting mix of co-passengers so far. The night was replete with several verbal scuffles amongst the passengers based on seating and bedding issues. A foreign tourist couple in the adjacent compartment has a particularly rowdy female who albeit her stunningly hot looks is quite scathing in her behavior with other passengers. Then the old lady who scolded out several hikers for talking latte into the night and sleeping on the compartment floor. I almost expected her verbal spat with the hot foreigner over ceiling fan to get really acerbic, but old Tamilian lady showed far greater grace.
Waking up to the Tirupati hills shrouded in the morning dawn was a beautiful wake up call for me. Taking the sleepy calmness of the dawn I did my routine internet activities, a habit nay addiction, that I have found to be quite troublesome as I found that my hands hurt while writing in my journal folder and an entire evening without laptop or internet access driving me to the depths of boredom. At least I have my mnemonics to keep me busy.
But now as the train is slowly pulling out of the Vijayawada station I can let my excitement out. This trip is not a pilgrimage, though I am in fact heading to Badrinath. This trip is not exactly an adventure trip. The best way to describe this trip is as a reconnoiter. A reconnoiter of what, the reader may ask, but that is a question better explored than explained over the coming days and the intermittent posts. After all any attempt at putting words to my goals right now would only invite ridicule and laughter from near and dear who "know" me.
Hence for now this post limits itself to a travelogue. Here is to the hope that the heat does not get debilitating and the lost hours would be made up before we reach Delhi. After all I do not want to miss the Lassi !
Running about 2 hours late, the Kerala Express has just pulled into the Vijayawada Railway Station and October heat is really turning out to be quite stifling. A strange lemon scent floats around the station, no idea from where, as I am starting the blog-a-thon for this ride.
The last week had been an exercise of the utmost strain. On one hand excitement of having finally about to embark on a journey that I have been dreaming for ages, and on the other hand my studied subduing of passions using my innate pessimistic realism where I was gearing up for some mishap or other that would get this trip cancelled. The trepidation came a shade closer to becoming real as a few days before the trip, my father had some liver issues that necessitated a checkup. At the advent of symptoms itself I had mentally geared myself for cancelling the trip, but thanks to God's grace it was a false alarm and he came out of the checkup diagnosed as quite healthy.
My older self would have been actually gushing with excitement during the wait for the train at Ernakulam Junction Railway Station not the least as the train chugged out of the city. However it was with a welcome detachment that I have been able to take this journey, a detachment that I believe would only lend greater sweetness to this dream journey.
It has been an interesting mix of co-passengers so far. The night was replete with several verbal scuffles amongst the passengers based on seating and bedding issues. A foreign tourist couple in the adjacent compartment has a particularly rowdy female who albeit her stunningly hot looks is quite scathing in her behavior with other passengers. Then the old lady who scolded out several hikers for talking latte into the night and sleeping on the compartment floor. I almost expected her verbal spat with the hot foreigner over ceiling fan to get really acerbic, but old Tamilian lady showed far greater grace.
Waking up to the Tirupati hills shrouded in the morning dawn was a beautiful wake up call for me. Taking the sleepy calmness of the dawn I did my routine internet activities, a habit nay addiction, that I have found to be quite troublesome as I found that my hands hurt while writing in my journal folder and an entire evening without laptop or internet access driving me to the depths of boredom. At least I have my mnemonics to keep me busy.
But now as the train is slowly pulling out of the Vijayawada station I can let my excitement out. This trip is not a pilgrimage, though I am in fact heading to Badrinath. This trip is not exactly an adventure trip. The best way to describe this trip is as a reconnoiter. A reconnoiter of what, the reader may ask, but that is a question better explored than explained over the coming days and the intermittent posts. After all any attempt at putting words to my goals right now would only invite ridicule and laughter from near and dear who "know" me.
Hence for now this post limits itself to a travelogue. Here is to the hope that the heat does not get debilitating and the lost hours would be made up before we reach Delhi. After all I do not want to miss the Lassi !
3 comments:
I am reminded of the Shyam Benegal TV serial on a train journey way back in the '80s!
Throwing coins is customary in the Godavari also on your route. And I also do not fail to do so every time I cross the Narmada on NH8 in Gujarat!
You forgot the litter people throw all over........
Sir, the litter is after all a given, whenever we speak about the world's largest Toilet and Waste Dumping ground, the Indian Railway.
Gokul, I am glad you are writing what could eventually turn out to be a good travelogue. Please do not try to skip minor things, because we mostly remember all major things and it is only minor things which we tend to forget and some of these minor things may later turn out to be major ones, sometimes. Wish you good luck.
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