Last posts on train

Intercity To Amsterdam

2008-07-20T21:05:00+02:00

Empty minded

I stare into the distance

the beauty of the scenery

whisks by

while the light wobbling

from the train

carries me further away

until the brink

of falling asleep

Dutch Version:

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Intercity naar Amsterdam

Gedachteloos

staar ik in de verte

de schoonheid van het landschap

zwiert voorbij

terwijl het lichte schommelen

van de trein

me verder voert

tot aan de rand

van slaap

15 hours on a train ...

2008-06-07T15:58:07+02:00

Was supposed to be 12 hours on a train, but there was a fire in Buffalo. According to my friend B., who grew up in Toronto, Buffalo is *always* on fire. Buffalo's Broadway, which is, happily, not on fire.A handful of Toronto pictures will be posted tomorrow.

On the train

2008-01-02T11:25:00+01:00

The excitement builds as the rains picks up speed. The air rushes in through the big, open windows and the train, after passing the first few kilometers through the shanty that inevitably springs up on the side of the railways, moves into more open grounds. Its green. Its clean. The little stagnant pools of water you see in passing are pretty with water lilies and lotus merrily co existing with the fishes... More than anything else, you can see the temples from between the cluster of trees. Suddenly, twenty minutes into the journey, you feel sleepy. The seats are not designed to stretch out comfortably, they are hard, wooden and functional and if you really must sleep, stretch over on the facing seat, it can be managed if you know how. No one will bother you and if you are traveling with the occasional Thai, chances are that he/she would be inevitably eating something: rice with shredded meat cooked in Holy Basil, rice with fish cooked in chilly and Holy Basil, or rice with fried egg (yes, with basil again) and drinking from a plastic bag with the aid of narrow straw. That was strange. Every where I went, I was given a glass of water (for that matter when you buy bottled water-Siam water is popular...costs 5THB and comes in a white plastic bottle.) and a narrow straw to drink from!!

If you dont fall asleep right away, stick your head out of the window for fantastic view of the countryside. In places, the sturdy shrubs press against the train and it feels as though the train is offending their home with its presence. They are quite purposeful, the shrubs and are not afraid of being ripped off by the speeding train. I made that one little mistake of standing by the door, quite unnecessary but out of habit, and got scratched by one such sturdy thing. It was then the whole new idea of the open window "opened". I wasnt missing much by looking out of the huge window and was probably safer there. Also the electric poles were very very close to the train so any attempt at sticking the leg out into the open space meant a collision with the poles, if the bushes didnt get you first.

The houses built around the countryside are very colourful with generous amounts of wood gone into its making. Many appear to be built on stilts for some odd reason, but perhaps due to the high ground water levels. Rivers meander through in gay abandon and paddy fields with merry farmers in pointed hats appear like a fairy tale. It was a good journey, rythmic and I didnt miss the chaos of the general compartments in Indian trains.

Just as the train approcaches Kanchanaburi, the geography changes. From the plain fields and ribbon rivers, it chanegs to undulating hills and gets more green. Suddenly there is a chill in the air, as though you have finally arrived. Its a good feeling to get off the train at this little place with much historic importance.

The train continued its journey to Nam Tok and I, along with 90 per cent of the BP's alighted at Kanchanaburi.

It was close to 12 pm. Hunger gnawed.

Calendar

2007-04-10T13:55:00+02:00

On my table is a picture of a Toy Train. In the background are the Himalayan Mountains with a brief stretch of snow reflecting the pale sunlight. The engine spews smoke, thick and black right into the cool air and a few trees alongside the narrow guage are just begining to look cheerful...that or it is a damned rotten picture.

But the month of April of 2007 has a picture on the calender that I cherish. The Himalayan Toy Train, with its three blue coaches and a cooing engine have just made their way past the Loop before descending into the valley of Darjeeling below. It brings back cheerful memories.

On the calender are dates and among my favourite pass-times is ticking off days. I cannot say why it is so important for me to tick off dates or when I started this habit, but of late it has begun to show. On one side of the neat rows of dates are the date of every Mondays of the month. That is circled for some reason. Then there are the Saturdays and Thursdays, each having their importance...

Then there is the big circle that encloses all these individual dates. Sometimes I am terribly thrilled when the month passes by and quietly slips into another...I get to change the picture on the calender with much expectations. Sometimes, that very act brings in a fear...time is passing. I guess all of us do feel that way. I feel that seeing into the calender and realising how fst time is flying, one wouldnt be caught by surprise. I would like to be cheerfully aware that am an year older when my brithday comes or that of my nephews or friends...I should hate to be left behind with the times...

Then again, it leaves me with a sense of brooding. Where is time going? Where is it leading to? Or will it lead to anything at all?

I marvel at the days, the dates, the picture, the time...its all part of a grand scheme of things one likes to call "LIFE".

Surely it will bring change? For that is about the only constant factor I have noticed in the passing of each month.

❒ ஏழைரதத்தில் ஏசி

2007-02-20T19:40:00+01:00

சென்னையில் இருந்து டில்லிக்கு முதல் வகுப்பு ஏசி ரயில்பெட்டியில் பயணிக்க ராஜதானி எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் கட்டணம் ரூ.2005, தமிழ்நாடு எக்ஸ்பிரஸ், ஜிடி எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் கட்டணம் ரூ.1455.நாளை முதல் சென்னையில் இருந்து புறப்படும் ஏழைகள் ரதத்தில் இதே ஏசி முதல் வகுப்பு கட்டணம் எவ்வளவு தெரியுமா?படுக்கை வசதியுடன் ரூ.892 மட்டும். இருக்கை வசதி பெட்டி என்றால் ரூ.748 மட்டும்.முற்றிலும் குளிரூட்டப் பட்ட 18 பெட்டிகள்அமிர்தசரஸ்-சஹர்சா முதல் ஏழைகள் ரதம்.பாட்னா-டெல்லி இரண்டாவது.சென்னை-டெல்லி மூன்றாவதாக (நாளை) வருகிறது.மும்பை-டெல்லிக்கு நான்காவதாக வரவிருக்கிறது.சென்னையிலிருந்து சனிக்கிழமை தோறும் காலை 6.10க்கு புறப்பட்டு ஞாயிறு காலை 10.15 டில்லி சென்றடையும்.டில்லியிலிருந்து ஒவ்வொரு திங்கள் காலை புறப்படும்.லல்லு என்ற முன்னாள் கோமாளி முதல்வர், இன்னாள் ரயில்வே மேதை. இந்திய ரயில்வேயின் மிகச்சிறந்த அமைச்சர்களில் ஒருவர்.