What is it about a railway station in cities and towns in India which makes it a tableau of many moments...pulsating with life...A lady decked in red bridal bangles and a sparkling yellow salwaar kameez cheek in hand turned sideways waiting for the train surrounded by metal trunks and suitcases. A man sleeping near his luggage possibly awaiting the train to a far-off place...I want one day to just go to a railway station and ask every person what their final destination is...how long is their journey and how long have they waited...how many stops...And then I want to check out every vendor's wares...drink in the sights and sounds....mostly holding my breath...smell or stench of metal, urine, sweat, food, flowers (sometimes)...heady mix.
I would chat with coolies...the frayed and faded red kurtas and their turbans...some of them thin and spindly still carrying huge loads on their heads...chased by the haggling customer...200 is too much...100 is fine...whatever you think is just...the platform number of trains and the exact location of a bogey on the platform...family and friends say their good byes and chat about mundane details...time and transportation to and fro to the destination....children chase each other from one end to the other under the watchful, admonishing eye of a parent. The sing song feminine voice streams through the speakers...please pay attention....ears strain to hear the time of their trains...
The railway platform beyond the shed filled with carts of pipping, sizzling pakodas..water splashed on to the cemented floor...green benches nearby...a man snoozing in broad daylight hands and feet splayed on the green bench...oblivious to the fun and ruckus around. A leafy tree gives shade to the sleeping man from the unrelenting sunlight. The skinny, mangy dog continues to hunt for the elusive scrap...
Free Jal sewa (free water service) by the cheerful couple...the man in a bright orange t-shirt scampers around with colorful plastic glasses of water- lime green, pink, red, yellow...while the lady sits near a big tub of water filling each glass and hands it out to him. The waiting rooms reminiscent of an older time...build by the British...high ceilings...dark brown wood...ah ha...reminds me of the movie Ijaazat....where a bespectacled Rekha and Naseer talk endlessly in a remote station waiting room lit by a single candle...what a dramatic setting to any story...maybe a scary movie...oooh!
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Captures the essence of an Indian railway station. Always buzzing with activity and people, I like to watch peoples faces when the train is arriving into the station expectation, happiness etc etc you can see all the expressions in there.
ReplyDeleteI love Indian railways and anything associated with them, I used to love spending time at train stations and still do...your blog made me nostalgic Naureen!
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