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goodbye to our parents on the platform, MADHURI’S MUSINGS
feeling like we could conquer the world, as deeper friendships, the chugging of the wheels and
we set out for our maiden girls-only adventure the honking of the engine can tug heartstrings. What
aboard the train. could be more romantic than meeting a soulmate on
Every stop in the great Indian rail journey a railroad trip? Yes, one of my good friends actually
was a peek into the local culture, with the did. She met her husband for the first time during a
sounds of the regional dialect reverberating train journey and from fellow travelers to soulmates,
through the air. Sometimes it was a bustling and life partners, they had a real-life joy ride!
platform brimming with life, coolies haggling Reel life Bollywood too has beautifully captured the
with passengers, chaiwalas screaming “chai, allure and romance of train travel. Some train scenes
chai, garam chai”, myriad mobile carts are iconic, like Malaika Arora dancing
atop a moving train for the song Chaiya
Chaiya, Kajol running towards SRK
in DDLJ, Rajesh Khanna serenading
Sharmila Tagore with the song Mere
Sapno Ki Rani; these timeless train
moments continue to play in our minds.
I have experienced fascinating
railroad experiences around the world.
Nevertheless, nothing comes close to the
incredible Indian railways. It is the charm
in the chaos, the magic in the madness,
the depth in the diversity of experiences,
which makes Indian rail travel unique.
with hawkers selling magazines and sodas, Even today, the Indian Railways continues to be one
and vendors with baskets of delicious fruits. of the largest employers in the world with networks
Many times the stop was also a quiet, sleepy that service travelers from Kashmir to Kanyakumari!
suburban town with a deserted platform. Every The whistle of the engines and the rhythm of the rails
station was a microsecond glimpse into that continue to beckon me. I hope that someday I can
town, which was a minute yet distinctive dot in make my long overdue railroad trip a reality when I
India’s diverse geographical map.
visit India. Until then, I will open my treasure box of
Unlike today’s digital world, we were travel memories and continue to keep traveling in the
completely disconnected from technology landscape of my mind where there are no boundaries
during travel. Bonding with fellow passengers or lockdowns, where the journey is truly timeless.
was inevitable. We nurtured new friendships,
exchanged homemade goodies from our tiffin
boxes and dabbas, and played endless games
of cards. Music played in the air even without
YouTube or iTunes. Yes, it was the joyful game
of Antakshari, of singing our way to fun whilst
also using our brain cells to debate if it was
the first line or the last line of a song.
Romance can bloom even over the train tracks.
From fleeting but unforgettable encounters to
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