There
was utter chaos at the New Delhi railway station the day I had gone
to see off someone who was travelling by train to Lucknow. There were
electronic boards all over the place displaying various messages like
platform number and position of bogeys and the time of departure of
train. The familiar clock which used to show the time was missing. I
could only see digital displays. The announcements were still
monotonous and flat. It still began with the sentence, "May I
have your attention please?", which was followed by the
train number and the platform where the train was to arrive and then
depart. The message was conveyed so mechanically and monotonously that one had to
strain to hear and then understand what was being announced. One
young boy clamoured up the platform steps and went to another
platform after saying that they had announced that the train would
arrive at platform number 13, instead of number 9 where we were all
standing. I wonder how they expected old people, or people with
children and families to run from one platform to another!
One
sight that I missed were the coolies in their red shirts and brass tags across their sleeves. Earlier
they were a familiar sight, running with the luggage and transporting
people to their respective bogeys. There was a human touch and
everyone trusted the coolies. Now they display the coach number and
its position from the engine, but the train does not stop at its
designated place. Our train arrived and went past the assigned place
and everyone ran with their luggage and families to find their
compartments and then berths.
The
platform was filthy. There was a huge clean bin available to throw
the litter in, but litter was strewn about everywhere. The rail
tracks were full of garbage too.The charts of passengers
were lying all over the place, adding to the untidiness of
the platform.
I used to love travelling by train. I loved those chai wallahs calling out "Chai, chai, ....chai chai, chai bolo,chai chai"! Those earthenware disposable mugs which would impart its own flavour to the tea were clean and healthy. The stations would go past, the large stations in North India always had a book stall of A. H. Wheeler and in South India it was always Higginbothams. My favourite reading material on the train journey was always the Bradshaw( railway time table). I loved to watch the hawkers in Bhopal selling fancy zari batuas(pouches with embroidery), I always looked out for the Mathura ke pedhe, Agre ka Petha, Nagpur ka Santra(orange), Allahabad ke amrud( guava). I never missed eating the Mutton Cutlet of Mughal Serai Junction, and loved to look at the fascinating Dining Hall at Kanpur Railway station. The doors with netting on them closed at an angle.
As one crossed the Ganga at Allahabad one could see the Naini Fort which was made by Akbar, and as you crossed the Jamuna at Agra one could see the Taj Mahal built by Shah Jehan. Train journeys were fascinating where one could while away the time watching India go past. It was usually a lesson in both History and Geography.
All those are now distant memories. I somehow do not feel like travelling by train now. One of these days I may just gather some courage and travel by train to see the world go by at a leisurely pace. I would love to see the different phases of the day, the culture of the place and how the scenery changes as we go at a steady pace with the rhythmic comforting sounds that a train emits as it chugs along.
