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MADHURI’S MUSINGS
MADHURI’S MUSINGS
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Romancing the Railroad!

As we continue to live through history, in the was from the windows of a rail car. I enjoyed
midst of a global pandemic and a partial the picturesque slideshows of the changing
lockdown world, many of us, travel lovers, have landscapes, whether the vibrant green paddy
had to cancel vacation plans and contain our fields, the hilly Western Ghats, the rocky Deccan
wanderlust. Until we are ready to head out on plateau or the sacred flowing Indian rivers. I
our next vacation, why not turn back the hands was delighted with the endearing smiles of the
of time and reflect on those precious travel little kids beaming through the window, playing
memories from the past? Research has shown in the lush green or golden fields, greeting us
that reliving special moments sends waves of merrily or waving goodbye cheerfully.
happiness to our heart center, elevating our
spirits. So let us travel in the inner vistas of our Boredom was never an issue even with the long
mind, where there are no lockdowns and we journeys. How exciting it was to travel through
can savor those special moments again. a tunnel of darkness and emerge into the light
of a new landscape; or cross a river bridge,
As I recall my childhood vacations with nostalgia, throwing coins into the waters below, and
what surfaces most distinctly, irrespective of the whispering a wish into the universe.
destination, are the travel adventures aboard
the Great Indian Railways! I always found train Overnight trips with school and college friends
travel fascinating. Whether it is the whistle of the are indelible memories. Who was the lucky one
engines or the rhythm of the rails, train travel is to have the topmost berth to themselves and
timeless and the romance never fades! some personal space to read a book, or maybe
even share the middle berth with a friend (while
My earliest of memories are trips from Madras also sharing secrets)? Who was ready to venture
Central station (now Chennai) to Hyderabad or out for a walk on the moving train, through the
Bombay (Mumbai) to meet our cousins. Each vestibules connecting the compartments?
railroad odyssey had its own unique flavor.
Coming from a buzzing urban metropolis, one My first girl’s trip from Madras to Bangalore was
of the best insights into India’s agricultural world unforgettable. How excited we were, waving

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