Travelling By Train

Her First journey on train was when Anita passed her ninth standard. Her sister and her family used to stay in Allahabad. Her neice and nephew were small one had just entered her nursery and the other was two years younger.  

It was the first time she travelled by train with her brother-in-law. It was a new experience, she didnt even know where the toilet was.  

She had a nice time there with her sister and the children. In Allahabad she visited the Anand Bhawan, which was constructed by Motilal Nehru. It's a museum, as as they went through they got a feeling of the memories of the history that dates back to the period. It was a wonderful experience. The rooms were exhibited with the belongings of Nehru ji , Gandhi Ji, where the meetings were conducted and other important messages that depicted the struggle for freedom.  

Then there was the Nehru planetarium which took them to the world of space.  

The second time Anita went by a train was when she went to do her Post graduation to Delhi University. She had no idea how to get the reservation done. One of her friend, Anu went along with her and they got their tickets done. She was accompanied by another girl Smita also a friend in the same bogey. However, her friend Anu got down when her home station came because she was informed that she had to join JNU and not DU. So Anita went along with Smita. Her other friends, the boys were also in the same bogey. One friend Ravi was also there, he came and gave Anita company for some time, discussed about some palmistry and then he wrote a poem which Anita still preserved for long. The poem actually meant for Anu who Ravi liked.

Many Years after when they got back in touch through social media, Anita had passed on a copy of the poem to Ravi too, written in red ink on a white sheet of paper.

However, the first time she went to Delhi was with just one suitcase that had few clothes in it and some of her certificates. She went directly from her hostel. Since she had to take admission in her Post graduation. Her father came to see her off at a station that was two and a half hours from her hometown.

Anita then got used to travelling by train all alone while studying and then when she worked.  

Those were the days when trains would run to and from limited places. It used to take about two to two and a half hours from her hometown to the place of railway station. Later as time passed by there were trains plying through her hometown.

And now it takes the same time for her to reach the airport. But the hours almost a day travelled by train is saved into a few hours.

However, the travel by train will always be a memorable one with each halt at the various stations on the route. Having the local food hetting off the train to buy books or food and before the horn would blow run and jump on the train. The TTE checking tickets, locking the suitcases and checking during sleep. All these were an experience of one of its kind. Anita was also familiar with these experiences.