a journey...

My love affair with the Indian railways continues... Travelled in 'Garib rath' for the first time. Garib rath roughly translates as poor man's train. 14 coaches of centrally air-conditioned luxury, paying 200/- more than the ordinary non AC 'sleeper'. The coach was spanking new, and of course there were very few poor people in spite of the name! There was a French couple in the same coupĂ©, and i challenge anyone to beat the seductiveness of the  French language when a woman is cooing it. It's all there, allure, flirtation, eroticism... no language turns me on so much !


It's been quite a while since i travelled AC and I felt pampered. No kadchkadch ttzee ttzee... thats the sound in the carriages , the 'sleeper class' but which i have got used to and almost works like a lullaby for me. No vendors screaming cchhhaaai cchhhaai, poori masala  iddllyy vaddaaiii at 3 in the morning. No beggars with imaginative injuries and handicaps, no singers rendering the fav bollywood tunes. In short , a bit dull and boring. When I arrived it didn't even feel like a proper Indian train journey. Hell, even the toilets were spotless! The last stop at the end of a 18 hour journey was at the suburbs of Trivandrum, with no bus service.


As i was de-training, the girl in front suddenly turned around and said "this is the last stop right?" , with the hint of a smile. White T shirt, black hair, squinting eyes sizing me up in blue denims.

Yeah, I smiled 'fully' back. I don't do smile rationing.She had a bit of a luggage problem.Maybe that would explain the sudden friendliness?
Where are you going to?
" " 
 I offered her help with the bags but she politely declined. Damn and she was a full blooded Malayali. Wow, a Mallu girl befriending the opposite sex without a MOTIVE?? What's happening to Kerala , people?


We shared an auto and chatted in English throughout.  I think my subconscious still refused to accept her as a Mallu.


You don't look like a Malayali
"My friends in Bangalore think I'm chinki"
Hmm do u have Chinese blood in your family?
Beautiful laugh...


I had forgotten the beauty of my home town, the green endless coconut trees, the green green hills, the clean air and the joy of innocent flirting . She loved Bangalore, her course, the weather... Time flew and before we knew it, I had to get down. I think she was surprised that I didn't ask for her number, maybe relieved, who knows?! I couldn't bring myself to spoil the beauty and fragility of that short yet timeless encounter. I'm in love.............................with life !!!

5 comments:

  1. Life is pretty sweet isn't it. There's nothing like the Indian railway network to remind me of that. I'll be on a long train journey myself next week so I'm excited about it.

    Jai

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  2. Hehe... yep life's good at the moment...no complaints !!!

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  3. Nothing like conversations with strangers..good for the soul, huh Pan (like Peter Pan!).. :)

    'Before Sunrise'..have ya seen it? You will love that movie.

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  4. good stuff bro..shoulda pulled a reversal on her...give her ur number then see if she calls...next time man haha

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  5. @ eLmoNiv, very unlike Peter Pan i must say. lost count of the number of times ive seen Before Sunrise & Before Sunset. ;) ur right i love them...

    @ Nomad, in addition to being a very good writer looks like ur not too bad with the ladies eh ? lol...

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Thanks for taking the time to write :)