Seriously How long are these things

The time was around 4:30 am. I awoke to darkness. Seriously, even time was still asleep. How I bathed, dressed and got to the taxi I don’t remember.

Panvel is a sleepy town, but a very important one for us. We drove in to find the platform to be quite deserted. We found three tiny puppies to play with. Then a strange phenomenon occurred. Repeatedly. Every time there was a train coming into the station I realized. An announcement would be made and the deserted platform would come to life. People from nowhere would gush into and from trains and then the platform would become quite again. Then it happened to us. First hand: An announcement, “2168 up…..”, a train’s horn, the train rolled in, stopped, people sprung to life, pushed us into the train, and we were off. We entered compartment no. S9, realized our seats were in S5. We walked through the train for 5 compartments, and then reached our seats. I learned something about the trains while walking: A train has its own life. People form and live in their own respective lands and it becomes a moving Diaspora of their own lands. They will live in their little countries to the fullest.

Not one person was sitting useless. Thomas uncle was catching up on the news while aunty was catching up on her sleep. Baby Carol sat in her Ammachi’s lap eating peanuts. Both Mr. and Mrs. Nair were reading magazines, him in Malayalam, and she in English. Rohini was listening to music on her I pod as she read her Sydney Sheldon. Maybe those were their real names, who knew? ;-)

We on the other hand wasted a perfect morning. We spent it getting seated and then settling in,a day which we should have spent looking at the mountains that stood silently as our train caterpillar-ed all over them. Rivers and fishermen not giving a second glance at our train even when it blew its horn to get their attention. Finally sense prevailed during lunch: one, of soggy and tasteless rice. Now the spirit of the travelling ghost got into us.

We started looking for the right pics to click, the right moments to pull each other’s legs. Everything that got me moving to the words of the ghost:

“Miss not a single leaf that passes you by,

It will change when you get back.”

I noticed the smallest details of beauty. When light shone of the little girls face, just enough to make her eyes shine like the sun was hiding behind them, or the way our eyes lit up when the cucumber man passed by.

I wanted to capture all the moments, insignificant as they may be, like the reflection of the sun in every passing stream. Excitement in every picture Anish took, Adithya running in ladies slippers to get chocolate from Ratnagiri station, Us trying to sell off Apurva to the cold drink man as a slave, Tanvi hiding on the top berth throughout, Priyal talking to her “cousin”(wink, wink), Arushi is being jewish and Aditi sharing her Budhani chips. Everyone had their day today. I guess I was looking to capture in every snap, that enthusiasm which I hoped to carry forward as our project took form. So far so good. (Fingers crossed)

As Maharashtra rolled on throughout the day, seamlessly, like a long carpet laid out just for me. A hundred tunnels, each one so long that it felt like we were going through many nights and days.

I sat back as the film ran through and I saw the trees blur by. The train plunged into darkness as the coffee fogs up my glasses. Seriously how long are these things? These never ending roller coasters through beauty that’s just out of reach. We each look for inspiration…

“Bolo Chai, caapi, wada bolo Chaio”