A refreshing journey

It's been ages since I travelled in a second class sleeper compartment of a train.When the tickets were booked I almost thought of cancelling my trip. The so- called luxury of closed doors and artificially cooled cabins were hard to let go. The lack of natural light and air was something that you paid for. I boarded the train to Pune on a cool July evening after a wait of two hours. The delay gave me just enough time to catch my breath after rushing against time for months on end.There was no school bus to run after, no cooking to cater to, no PPTs to be sent across and no schedules to be prepared for 8 1/2 trainers. I was left alone and that felt divine. Waiting for the train I finished a 100 odd page novel by Padmarajan, one that I had wanted to read for so long.The train arrived and after I settled down, it struck me that I could breathe freely. The windows were left open and the feel of fresh air on my skin was exhilarating.There was a cool yet wet breeze all along and as I bade goodbye to the familiar city sights whisking by, I started to relax.It felt strange not to have known noises or voices in the background doing the routine humming.My phone also chose to take a break and it went 'off' battery. I felt answerable to no one; calls from my family did not bother me (they were all well taken care of). It was now time for me to be.

There is a community which is formed when you travel in second class for a relatively long distance.The warmth of the people around is comforting. A sense of bonhomie sets in within a short while of the journey and total strangers could leave the compartment hand in hand at the end of it. It may not be the case always but it sure is a refreshing change from the cold and artificial air within and among in an AC compartment. The element of unpredictability is catchy because you never know who might end up sitting next to you. The low ticket fares capture a great part of the spectrum of our people and you could end up sitting right next to a street vendor or a college lecturer.

Big families with kids and bags equalling in number form very interesting objects of study, I noticed.They make the compartment their temporary abode. The huge dhabbas of food filled to the brim vanish in no time leaving only an appetising aroma behind. All it takes is a smile and you find yourself answering questions, making suggestions and being made offers to partake in the sumptuous feast spread out deftly on the seats.

Kids run around bare foot and bare bottomed, fascinated by the sights and the slight tremble under their feet. Loud mouthed women shout out instructions to both their children and men, all at one go and it requires some skill to decipher which one is for who. When it is evening and time to settle down, you first hear a shuffling and then a rushing of feet in bathroom slippers towards the sole 4 bathrooms divided among 70 odd travellers. The scene is complete with mugs of various colours and the coarse towels of different sizes.The stench that comes out from these over - used bathrooms are not something that you crib about, but what you associate your journey with.To avoid the rush I devised a strategy to take care of my biological and hygenic needs. Being an early riser the wee hours of the morning were not too much to ask for. I managed my work, which even includes a decent wash, admirably.

Since I was on a time alone trip, I refrained from that extra smile but I knew that I was still silently taken in to be under the watchful eyes of the matronly women around.20 hours past and the train came to a screeching halt at Pune junction. I left my temporary home of almost a day and rushed to the main entrance with an expectant smile.