Thursday, November 26, 2009

Modes of travel

I am at the airport, going home. Flight to Kolkata, then an overnight train to Bhagalpur. From warm and humid Mumbai afternoon to cool and more humid Kolkata evening to sub-teen, foggy, humidity neutral Bhagalpur morning. Travel, ofcourse, would be in theoretically neutral air conditioning making all the changes sudden. At one point considered taking a direct train from Mumbai, a 2000 kilometre, 36 hour journey across India's belly. However courage kept faltering, and the time to make the call came and went. Tiredness wouldn't have been a problem, airconditioned travel on Indian Railways is fairly comfortable. Vague ideas of boredom are what kept me away, in hindsight quite unfounded.

I miss long train journies. They are excellent for a lot of things: reading, reflection, eye soothing scenery, new perspective: conversations of and with strangers. To watch the evening descend on Indian rural life from a train window is a cathartic sight. On a recent journey from Bhagalpur to Patna, I overheard ( wasn't participating) a well informed arguement from a deputy superintendent of police on law and order, development and politics in Bihar. I always feel excited before train journies. In my grand father's time, during British rule, 'A train journey' was a common essay topic: not without reason.

In comparision, air travel is uncomfortable and sleep inducing, even a 30 minute delay is irritating. Seats sometimes seem insufficient for even small me. In the innumerable flights I have taken in the last three years I wouldn't have spoken to my neighbour five times. There is no exposure to the country one is travelling over.

Like a lot of things that make life faster, air travel too takes away its pleasure.Speed- dash it.

6 comments:

shailysahay said...

Poignant description of train journeys which do contrast with air travels.
Especially liked the part:"In my grand father's time, during British rule, 'A train journey' was a common essay topic: not without reason." and the perfect ending with, "Speed- dash it."

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Novocaine said...
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Novocaine said...

Ditto for me - I love traveling in trains, when flying - only the take off and landing are interesting :)

Ted said...

So you mean to say that train journeys are good because you are forced to do a lot of things (like reading, reflecting, overhearing intellectual conversations) that you would like to do but would rarely "choose" to do ?

Achal said...

@ Tirthankar: Yes. Also they are so comfortable.