I was in Kerala. 'God's own country' as they say it. The greenery was just beautiful. It was amazing. There were all kinds of trees and rare plants. The touch-me-not was amusing and delicate. Six years and seven months ago, I was just seven years old. I loved the beauty, but definitely hated the creepy crawlies which came along with it. Even grasshoppers used to frighten me. Bees were common, and I just hated them. I have never got stung by one, but their legs and wings were as scary as jumping from Burj Khalifa. They looked like professional killers.
It was the monsoon season in India. All states except Tamil Nadu were affected by these heavy rains. I had to travel(with parents of course)to Bombay. My father wanted to travel by a train and we followed his choice. We arrived at the station quite early. We waited for thirty minutes before the train arrived. It usually took only a day and a half by train to reach Bombay. I was glad that I didn't have to sit in a filthy train for more than a day. Well, of course, the scenery outside the windows of the train is beautiful, the inside was the big problem. The station especially was full of rats and lizards, my mother's worst enemies. The lizards were busy searching for flies to eat, which was there in abundance.
We entered the train casually. My father lifted all the bags to the seats we occupied. He wouldn't expect a woman or a seven year old boy to lift it for him. At last we arrived at our seats. My great uncle joined us for this journey too. The air-conditioning hadn't started yet as the train was yet to be joined to the engine. We were sweating terribly. After what seemed like an hour, the train finally started moving.
In the train there was nothing much to do, but read a book or stare out of a window. I did both. Of course, I didn't read Stephen King or Eoin Colfer then. I stuck to Enid Blyton's short stories. I liked one story about a brother and sister who had to take a bus home. There was an old lady who couldn't enter the bus as there was only one seat remaining. The brother decided to give up the bus for the old lady and go walking to his house. In the end his family doctor, found him walking and gave him a lift home. The sister was surprised to see the brother home early. After she understood what had happened she gave him a packet of chocolate, which she said was given by that old lady who was grateful to him. I enjoyed Blyton's stories. I also enjoyed sitting by the window and watching outside. The scenery was amazing.
Early morning the next day, we were at Goa, a state in the South. Due to the rain, the train stopped there for quite sometime. The tracks were filled with water. I was fast asleep, as I didn't believe in getting up early, until and unless there was school. In the morning we were still at Goa and train staff were roaming around with breakfast. I had good(not great)meal. I am a great fan of banana fries which is a traditional Keralite dish. That was one thing that I would never miss while I was in the South. I drank my cup of coffee and waited for the train to move. After sometime the station master or whatever you call him, came to us and announced that due to the floods, the train would be going back to Kerala and coming by a separate route. Everyone was unhappy. Nobody wanted to stay in the filthy train for more than a day. My father was an exception. We definitely couldn't take a bath as the train had no proper shower room. We were stinking due to the dampness and the unhygienic maintenance of the train. The train went reverse in full speed and people could hardly stand on their feet. It stopped at no station in between and we were heading straight to Kerala.
I brushed my teeth with great difficulty because of the pace the train was moving in. I could barely stand and it was hard to turn on the tap and wash the brush and then wash your mouth. It was vexing. Finally I was able get back to my seat. I observed the scenery outside and knew that we were heading back to Kerala due to the greenery. I frowned. I was bored, so I went for a stroll, despite the speed of the train. I saw some frowns on the faces of the people in other seats. I came to one seat where there was a man, wearing a sumptous watch. He had a baby in his lap. He was playing with the baby. The baby's mother was sitting right beside him. She was playing with the baby too. The baby, I noticed was a girl. She was five-six months old. She was happily laughing at her father's and mother's funny faces. Looking at their faces, I couldn't help but chuckle. The father caught my sight. I began to leave, but he stopped me by greeting me. I greeted him in return.
My great uncle came searching for me. By the time I was happily talking to the baby's father and mother. My uncle greeted them and they did the same. Do not talk to strangers was a not a big rule in a train. Especially with a man who has a family. My uncle asked me to go get his watch and also summon my father while I was at it. The baby's father and my uncle were deep in conversation by the time I got there with my father. My father wasn't much of speaker, like me. He always waited for somebody else to start the conversation. The baby was fast a sleep in her mother's lap. I walked away and left the adults to their conversation.
I got back to my Enid Blyton book. After sometime it was time for lunch. My uncle and father were still busy in their conversation. My mother was busy laying out the plates. After sometime my father and great uncle arrived. After a quick meal I got back to my book. It only had about a hundred pages, but I was a slow reader then. After a good read I went to join the baby and her family. They greeted me with delight. The baby was awake. She was playing and chewing on her toys. Her mother kept stopping her from chewing her toys, but she, as all babies, was adamant. Her father kept asking me questions about my school. He also asked me how I found it in the Middle East. I replied that I found it to be pleasant.
By evening, the train had reached Kerala to change its engine. I sighed to see Kerala again. Not that it was unpleasant, it was just that the train journey was longer. I thought that, my friends would be enjoying their summer vacation, while I'm sitting in this damn train full of adults. The only two people who weren't adults were me and the baby. Of course I could play a bit with the baby, which I did, but apart from that I had no clue about what I was going to do. My book was nearing the end, and the scenery would be blinded due to the night. The evening was getting darker and darker and we were supposed to be in Bombay, if it weren't to be that stupid rain. One good advantage was that, I never had to drink milk. I don't hate milk, but I love coffee. I drank two cups of coffee that evening. The evening was warm in Kerala. It was humid, but it didn't seem like it was going to rain heavily. The evening passed into the void and then came night.
Dinner was nothing great. I gulped it down my throat and went to visit the only kid in the compartment apart from me. She was sucking her thumb. I kept making silly faces to make her laugh and she did it without any qualms. She finally got tired and her mother put her off to sleep. The lullaby she hummed to her kid, showed all her affection towards her girl. I went hopping from one place to another, back to my seat. I was forced to brush by my mother and I did it quickly. I slept peacefully till morning.
The third day of my train journey had just begun. I woke up after several calls from my parents and uncle. The train had slowed down and that was a bad sign. It meant it would reach Bombay more slowly. I brushed my teeth with great pace, but carefully. I ate a healthy breakfast. We were at Andhra Pradesh. Miles to go, before reaching Bombay. We had to cover Karnataka still. The day went by slowly. I spent my time reading, hopping around and having fun with the baby. I had known her name, but now I forgot. The day was not as memorable as the first one.
The fourth day, and we were above Krishna river which would mean that we were nearing Karnataka. After we reached Karnataka, the train increased its speed again. The Karnataka journey was short as we only had to cover a bit of it, before we reached Maharastra, where Bombay is located. By evening we were in Maharastra and we were sure, by morning we would reach Bombay.
Next day, we were stuck at a place called Daund. It took us a while before we were able to move. We got down at Daund station and got a nice hot tea. It was afternoon by the time we moved from Daund, and we headed to Pune. The train kept entering tunnels which were completely dark. I enjoyed the ride. By late evening, about eight'O clock, we reached Pune. The station master said that the train would go to its shed there and it would continue its journey towards Bombay the next day. No one, not even my father could stand one more day in the train, so we decided to get down at Pune and call my father's younger cousin brother to come and collect us by road.
In the end we said goodbye to the baby and her parents and waited in the station until my uncle came to collect us. I sat drinking Sprite and chewing gum. It was a long ride from Bombay to Pune, so it took some time for my uncle to arrive. In India the speed limit is a bit low, so it took even more time for my uncle to arrive. He arrived by twelve midnight with his driver friend. We sat in the car and drove to Bombay.
In the car there was some boring Hindi movie going on. I went to sleep immediately. By six in the morning, we reached Bombay, at last. I lazily woke up to breathe the Bombay air. It smelled bad. So did I. I went home and took a bath immediately. It was a lovely five days of unhygienic living. Now, wasn't it?
Hasta la Vista,
K
It was the monsoon season in India. All states except Tamil Nadu were affected by these heavy rains. I had to travel(with parents of course)to Bombay. My father wanted to travel by a train and we followed his choice. We arrived at the station quite early. We waited for thirty minutes before the train arrived. It usually took only a day and a half by train to reach Bombay. I was glad that I didn't have to sit in a filthy train for more than a day. Well, of course, the scenery outside the windows of the train is beautiful, the inside was the big problem. The station especially was full of rats and lizards, my mother's worst enemies. The lizards were busy searching for flies to eat, which was there in abundance.
We entered the train casually. My father lifted all the bags to the seats we occupied. He wouldn't expect a woman or a seven year old boy to lift it for him. At last we arrived at our seats. My great uncle joined us for this journey too. The air-conditioning hadn't started yet as the train was yet to be joined to the engine. We were sweating terribly. After what seemed like an hour, the train finally started moving.
In the train there was nothing much to do, but read a book or stare out of a window. I did both. Of course, I didn't read Stephen King or Eoin Colfer then. I stuck to Enid Blyton's short stories. I liked one story about a brother and sister who had to take a bus home. There was an old lady who couldn't enter the bus as there was only one seat remaining. The brother decided to give up the bus for the old lady and go walking to his house. In the end his family doctor, found him walking and gave him a lift home. The sister was surprised to see the brother home early. After she understood what had happened she gave him a packet of chocolate, which she said was given by that old lady who was grateful to him. I enjoyed Blyton's stories. I also enjoyed sitting by the window and watching outside. The scenery was amazing.
Early morning the next day, we were at Goa, a state in the South. Due to the rain, the train stopped there for quite sometime. The tracks were filled with water. I was fast asleep, as I didn't believe in getting up early, until and unless there was school. In the morning we were still at Goa and train staff were roaming around with breakfast. I had good(not great)meal. I am a great fan of banana fries which is a traditional Keralite dish. That was one thing that I would never miss while I was in the South. I drank my cup of coffee and waited for the train to move. After sometime the station master or whatever you call him, came to us and announced that due to the floods, the train would be going back to Kerala and coming by a separate route. Everyone was unhappy. Nobody wanted to stay in the filthy train for more than a day. My father was an exception. We definitely couldn't take a bath as the train had no proper shower room. We were stinking due to the dampness and the unhygienic maintenance of the train. The train went reverse in full speed and people could hardly stand on their feet. It stopped at no station in between and we were heading straight to Kerala.
I brushed my teeth with great difficulty because of the pace the train was moving in. I could barely stand and it was hard to turn on the tap and wash the brush and then wash your mouth. It was vexing. Finally I was able get back to my seat. I observed the scenery outside and knew that we were heading back to Kerala due to the greenery. I frowned. I was bored, so I went for a stroll, despite the speed of the train. I saw some frowns on the faces of the people in other seats. I came to one seat where there was a man, wearing a sumptous watch. He had a baby in his lap. He was playing with the baby. The baby's mother was sitting right beside him. She was playing with the baby too. The baby, I noticed was a girl. She was five-six months old. She was happily laughing at her father's and mother's funny faces. Looking at their faces, I couldn't help but chuckle. The father caught my sight. I began to leave, but he stopped me by greeting me. I greeted him in return.
My great uncle came searching for me. By the time I was happily talking to the baby's father and mother. My uncle greeted them and they did the same. Do not talk to strangers was a not a big rule in a train. Especially with a man who has a family. My uncle asked me to go get his watch and also summon my father while I was at it. The baby's father and my uncle were deep in conversation by the time I got there with my father. My father wasn't much of speaker, like me. He always waited for somebody else to start the conversation. The baby was fast a sleep in her mother's lap. I walked away and left the adults to their conversation.
I got back to my Enid Blyton book. After sometime it was time for lunch. My uncle and father were still busy in their conversation. My mother was busy laying out the plates. After sometime my father and great uncle arrived. After a quick meal I got back to my book. It only had about a hundred pages, but I was a slow reader then. After a good read I went to join the baby and her family. They greeted me with delight. The baby was awake. She was playing and chewing on her toys. Her mother kept stopping her from chewing her toys, but she, as all babies, was adamant. Her father kept asking me questions about my school. He also asked me how I found it in the Middle East. I replied that I found it to be pleasant.
By evening, the train had reached Kerala to change its engine. I sighed to see Kerala again. Not that it was unpleasant, it was just that the train journey was longer. I thought that, my friends would be enjoying their summer vacation, while I'm sitting in this damn train full of adults. The only two people who weren't adults were me and the baby. Of course I could play a bit with the baby, which I did, but apart from that I had no clue about what I was going to do. My book was nearing the end, and the scenery would be blinded due to the night. The evening was getting darker and darker and we were supposed to be in Bombay, if it weren't to be that stupid rain. One good advantage was that, I never had to drink milk. I don't hate milk, but I love coffee. I drank two cups of coffee that evening. The evening was warm in Kerala. It was humid, but it didn't seem like it was going to rain heavily. The evening passed into the void and then came night.
Dinner was nothing great. I gulped it down my throat and went to visit the only kid in the compartment apart from me. She was sucking her thumb. I kept making silly faces to make her laugh and she did it without any qualms. She finally got tired and her mother put her off to sleep. The lullaby she hummed to her kid, showed all her affection towards her girl. I went hopping from one place to another, back to my seat. I was forced to brush by my mother and I did it quickly. I slept peacefully till morning.
The third day of my train journey had just begun. I woke up after several calls from my parents and uncle. The train had slowed down and that was a bad sign. It meant it would reach Bombay more slowly. I brushed my teeth with great pace, but carefully. I ate a healthy breakfast. We were at Andhra Pradesh. Miles to go, before reaching Bombay. We had to cover Karnataka still. The day went by slowly. I spent my time reading, hopping around and having fun with the baby. I had known her name, but now I forgot. The day was not as memorable as the first one.
The fourth day, and we were above Krishna river which would mean that we were nearing Karnataka. After we reached Karnataka, the train increased its speed again. The Karnataka journey was short as we only had to cover a bit of it, before we reached Maharastra, where Bombay is located. By evening we were in Maharastra and we were sure, by morning we would reach Bombay.
Next day, we were stuck at a place called Daund. It took us a while before we were able to move. We got down at Daund station and got a nice hot tea. It was afternoon by the time we moved from Daund, and we headed to Pune. The train kept entering tunnels which were completely dark. I enjoyed the ride. By late evening, about eight'O clock, we reached Pune. The station master said that the train would go to its shed there and it would continue its journey towards Bombay the next day. No one, not even my father could stand one more day in the train, so we decided to get down at Pune and call my father's younger cousin brother to come and collect us by road.
In the end we said goodbye to the baby and her parents and waited in the station until my uncle came to collect us. I sat drinking Sprite and chewing gum. It was a long ride from Bombay to Pune, so it took some time for my uncle to arrive. In India the speed limit is a bit low, so it took even more time for my uncle to arrive. He arrived by twelve midnight with his driver friend. We sat in the car and drove to Bombay.
In the car there was some boring Hindi movie going on. I went to sleep immediately. By six in the morning, we reached Bombay, at last. I lazily woke up to breathe the Bombay air. It smelled bad. So did I. I went home and took a bath immediately. It was a lovely five days of unhygienic living. Now, wasn't it?
Hasta la Vista,
K
a unforgettable journey of our life, indeed!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised how vividly you remember the journey. TO KEEP THOSE MEMORIES LOCKED WITHIN YOU IS INDEED A COMMENDABLE JOB. WELL DONE!
well, u did 4get tht i hv a very gud memory unlike u!
Deletewell not just ur great uncle but there were others as well wth u...and i think it ws a different experience...well wud agree wth ur mom abt ur memory.
ReplyDelete