A Harbinger’s journey

Railway station is full of anxiety. Always. People looking around, the chai wala running to catch his next prey, the paper boy shouting todays news as if there is no tomorrow, The arrival announcement of the next train echoing through the platform.

I stared out to the platform to check whether it was my train.it was a 110 bogie cargo traing straining to move ahead strenously.The line in front of me was wagging its
long tail. Somebody tried to get inside the queue and people started shouting. Even in this June its hot and dont mentioned the humidity. People were getting baked in that 20*20 foot hall. One by one the the queue shortened, the frustrated guy at the counter was firing away tickets as well as abuses. At last I was at st peter’s gate, one ticket to Thalessery. I gave him a yesterday-printed hundred rupee note. It seems he was not satisfied, ok a 10 rupee more. He gave me the ticket with smirk along with the change. In my hands were the ticket and the first ever printed two rupee note of India. Surf Excel should have given the challenge of cleaning it up I bet even they could have failed. But courtesy should be maintained, in a humble “Thank you sir” and he was smiling at me. Respect- something that he doesn’t get outside that counter even from his wife.

Indian railway is always to be indebted for providing so much of time in a busy station with train coming late as usual. If the station contains some Head-turners well then Indian railway is the best railways of the world( yes I am admirer of Laloo !!!(railway mini)). Everywhere there was humming sound. “ she shouldn’t have done that……..” some fat lady sitting beside was saying. “ I wont go there as……” a guy in the checkered black shirt was stating. I strained my ears to catch the next word. “For kind attention of passengers…..” This lady is agonizingly a menace sometimes. She didn’t want me having my time.
The Mangla-lakshdeep express bellowed its tongue before stopping with screeching sound that shrilled across the platform. I took my stride to catch my prey and den. The search didn’t last. I clamored in to S4 to sit just beside her and the journey started. And the journey is still going on. Across the green meadows, across the rice fields, across the meandering rivers, across the horizon ……….