Railway Stations.....

Railway stations....

My son's school trip to Jaipur brought me face to face with a railway station after ages. Their train was to depart from Mumbai Central at 11.15 p.m. We had been asked to assemble by 9.30 p.m at the landmark A.H.Wheeler book store on the station.
Railways stations no doubts are full of life quite in contrast to bus depots or airports.
They are also very interesting and exciting. People are always moving in and out. There is a certain rhythm in the sounds of the trains chugging in , halting and moving out again. The teary eyes, waving hands, warm embraces, rush to catch the train leave behind images in the mind. They also reflect a myriad of cultures.
My heart therefore missed many beats as soon as I left home for Mumbai Central railway station with Vishnu. Born to a official in the railways, trains were our life line. No day passed without hearing the whistle or the gong of the train, the banging of bogies since our house was just adjacent to the railway yard. At times we could hear the steam engine shrill and even see the smoke billowing out of the chimney in the engine.
Our travels were only by trains and journeys to our home town in Chennai were quite eventful.
There were no direct trains to Chennai those days. We had to go to Wardha East and then catch the Grand Trunk Express , popularly known as GT Express and the Dakshin Express. The biggest problem was not getting a through reservation and therefore our father would always be tense. Travelling with a family of 5 was worrisome if we did not get seats. But we would be lucky....most of the times we would get the seats. Very rarely we would have to adjust with one or two less.
Railway journeys were great fun, looking at stations, the varying landscapes, trees , rocks and mountains and different kinds of people. There used to be a carmederie in knowing others, sharing your compartment or sharing your meals with them. Travelling by train had its own charm.
The bustle on the stations used to be greater fun with sounds of " Chai garam, garam Chai", Kaapi Kaapi, Samosa Samosa, " eh...Batata wada". Nearer south it was Tayir Saadam, Lemon Rice etc. The aroma of those foods would invariably feel more exciting than our set meals of Idli- Milagaai podi, puliyodharai, taiyar saadam or poori bhaji. Of course we never got to eat them . We would however get to eat vegetables cutlets for breakfast and I used to love that.
In fact most stations sold these in the morning.
I also used to love getting down on the stations to fill water. Those were the days when tap water was not looked down upon and was as pristine as Bisleri or mineral water. Filling up water in steel koojaas used to be fun.
It was only after my brother graduated as an engineer and got a job a Delhi we started travelling by Western Railway. We normally went to Mumbai Central to take the Raajdhaani Express. In those days it would be a matter of pride to mention that we were travelling by Raajdhani. A visit to A.H.Wheeler was a must and purchasing a book or a magazine essential. I was hoping to buy something for Vishnu from there today but the stall was closed.
The station looked spruced up and different with modern restaurants, seating arrangements, bright paint. It was heartening to see amenities like the golf cart for senior citizens to move on to the platform. Though the platforms were very clean one could not miss the slight smell of urine. That was one thing which remained constant.
At one point of time the train was the only means of travel we used, thanks to the free railway passes. In contrast travel by air is a routine now to save time. Yet the charm oi f the train had not worn out. One look at the station and the compartment, I was transported to another world. A world of simple joys, plain innocence. A world of my childhood and youth, the prime of our life when travelling by train was far from cumbersome. A phase where we looked forward to move in the cheapest and the best mode of transport.
Even today, railways are the largest network and also the fastest.
As the train rolled in , the children got I to it excitedly and sat on their seats. It took them some time to settle down. Once done they were lost in their own world oblivious to even to their parents who had come to see them off. The attendant kept the blankets, pillows and bed sheets for all the passengers. Soon it was time to leave.
The train moved out of the platform and went it's way. Suddenly the station wore a deserted look but only for a while.
Another train to Vadodara pulled up on the next platform. The lull ended and the station began to hum again with life.
On way home in the car, my mind was criss cross like the tracks of the rail, smiling at times and cringing at other reliving memories of the rail world. The steam engines may have chugged out and trains maybe running on alternating currents but one thing was sure, it's charm would last forever.....