Friday, March 21, 2008

Train of thoughts

She looked out of the glass window trying to see where they were. But the glass window was more keen on reflecting what was inside than performing its primary duty of transparency. So she pressed her face against the window, curled the palms around her face to focus on what was outside.....
It wasn't nething spectacular....Just small hills and trees , farms and villages, as it had been throughout the journey. But now that they were far off from the city even the small villages were becoming rare and this one where the train had stopped also seemed very small. It was probably not even a village. Just a few huts around a farm. In the dark she couldn't make out whether there was a farm or just fallow land. But about 400-500 m away she saw a few huts. She could barely make them out because of the light lit in those houses. Was it an electric bulb or lantern , she thought. How can people stay like this in isolation? What do they do for living? Do the kids go to school? Where do they get water from? Just one look at that small group of huts and this and many more questions raced through her mind.
Then a small jerk and train had started again. She turned her attention inwards and found people getting ready to sleep and some already probably in their dream world. She looked at the watch. Her cellphone showed the time: 20:00. Most people just sleep away their time while travelling, isn't it?

"Ma....the train left", boy said a little disappointedly and then sat down. There was a long silence and then he spoke again,"Ma...would somebody have seen me?"......"I waved to them....last week an Engine Driver waved to Bhima, he told me."
"Eat now......" Came the reply from the other end. Looking at his sad face, she said " We are quite far away and its dark....Otherwise I am sure the Driver would have waved to you too..... but they must have seen the light in our house." Boy spoke as if after thinking hard, "I am going to become an engine driver one day."

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That was an abstract piece that came to mind.Nothing travels faster than our own thoughts and I don't know how my Train of Thoughts stopped at this.
Whenever I travel long distance by train I am always taken aback by the vastness of the world. In our day to day life we are so absorbed in one kind of world that we feel as if nothing exists beyond it. When I see small villages that we come across while travelling, sometimes I can't even relate myself to them. I can't imagine myself in their place. I wonder what kind of dreams they have. Do they have different ambitions? And if yes.....do they get fulfilled.I just hope they do...