The Forgotten Joys of Train Travel

Last minute plans to visit my folks, saw me scrabbling for tickets to Mumbai. My only chance was the train Tatkal ticket which is available 24-hours before the train departs.
And it was such a welcome change. The chugging of the diesel engine as the train pulled up on the platform. The scrabble to find the right boogie. And then the relief of deciphering where my seat was located.
Once settled in, with the bags secured with chain and lock, I pulled out Da Vinci Code, something I had held back reading for the sheer bulk of the book.
I had only gotten past the prologue, when my attention was tuned into a discussion on the havoc nature has been playing with cities across the country. We had a heated discussion over cups of coffee which flowed in a steady stream. Someone argued bad infrastructure was to blame, someone else said it was the after-effects of the Tsunami. I personally think the day of reckoning is on its way – Nature’s way of balancing out the pressures of modernisation.
Now it was lunchtime. Out came Theplas with Chunda, sweet pickled mango, a Gujarati speciality. Someone else had packed Parathas and Lassi. Yet another family had packed a basket full of a three-course meal, dessert et al. I had nothing but a croissant I had grabbed on the way to the station. And my favourite pack of Kellogg’s Chocos. When I sheepishly declared this, a plate materialised with all the goodies on it. It was an elaborate lunch, followed by an afternoon siesta which went on till it was time for dinner. Another elaborate meal and the rhythmic motion of the train lulled us all to sleep again.
And the Da Vinci Code; I will save that for my next flight journey.