Spice of Life: Train travel offers platform to sample unity in diversity
I must confess that it has been more than a decade since I travelled by train. There was a time not so long ago when trains were the only means of long-distance travel. The journey could take up to three days but, yes, it was an experience worth a thousand flights of today.
With increasing air connectivity more and more Indians are taking to the skies. No city in our country is more than three hours away. Add to this the thrill of soaring high in the sky, the mesmerising and ever-changing shapes of clouds, the swanky airports, and the enticing variety of flavours at the food courts, and air travel seems even more attractive.
My most enduring memories of travelling by air consists of gazing at the virtual fairyland visible from the aircraft’s window with the most beautiful shapes formed by the clouds. How I have wished countless times that I could step onto this wonder of Mother Nature!
I must confess that it has been more than a decade since I travelled by train. There was a time not so long ago when trains were the only means of long-distance travel. The journey could take up to three days but, yes, it was an experience worth a thousand flights of today.
I distinctly remember having travelled by Dakshin Express from Hyderabad to New Delhi in 2002, which was a leisurely 48-hour journey, with the train stopping at countless big and small stations on the way. There were many reasons which made the journey memorable. For one, the meals served by the pantry car had a distinct local flavour of the area from where the train happened to be passing at that time. For instance, we were served sumptuous mirchi ke pakode with chai when we were passing through Telangana and the delectable “Andhra pickle” with dinner. The breakfast changed from idli-sambhar to onion kachori when we entered Madhya Pradesh the next morning. Nagpuri oranges were sold by the vendors as the train neared Nagpur.
The sights and sounds of the railway stations, too, had a distinct local flavour. We saw men with white Nehru topi and dhoti-kurta and women attired in Maharashtrian sarees as we traversed through the state. Over and above this, we had the warm companionship of a Bengali couple, with loads of laughter and so much knowledge about each other’s culture to share.
Indeed, we realised that we may belong to different states but the aspirations, worries, frustrations, and the jokes that made us laugh, were, surprisingly, the same.
This particular journey also brought its unique landscapes from the rugged terrain of the Deccan Plateau to the dangerous ravines of Chambal. We also saw the mighty Godavari river on our way. It felt as though we were seeing a geography book unfold before our eyes!
In contrast, air travel is so much more monotonous. We seem to take off from one particular city and land in another city, which is almost the same as the previous one.
Rail journeys underline the dictum we have so often heard that is: The journey is, many a times, more interesting than the destination.
The writer is a Jalandhar-based psychiatrist and can be reached at [email protected]
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