Prabha Manda’s Blog

Train travel

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Ever since a child, almost every summer we used to travel to my grandma’s place. It used to be a close to 24hr journey. We [my brothers and I ]used to look forward to it. Getting a seat near the window used to be a big thing. We used to press our faces against the windows and stare out or in front to take a look at the engine when the train went on a curve. I used to love reading comics on the way too, except that sometimes it used to give me a headache. I remember us trying to start a sometimes acting up fan by inserting a comb into the gap and trying to push the blades to spin, most of the time it used to work. That was the way it was [mostly ]. My parents [back in India] are now traveling on a train right now and while checking the status I was thrown into the thought of how it used to be. Once the train leaves a familiar station its just either mountains or uninhabited land, stones , trees , plants etc, and we are zooming past, sometimes or most of the times it makes you wonder where exactly you are traveling to. The feeling is sort of indescribable, zombie state . It used to be nice, but at the same time a little scary, thinking of what I’d do if left by myself somewhere along the path of the train . Just thoughts you have when you are a kid with imagination running wild. You hear the train making a rhythmic sound, sometimes it used to stop in the middle of nowhere , in the middle of the night, you could hear the noises of nature, see brilliant stars above, it used to be a thrill just to peek out of the window of the train at that hour, admiring the view outside.  Its a while since I wrote the above, but will be  publishing it today! I still yearn for train travel. In the US train travel is impractical unless you have lots and lots of time on hand. I am glad I travelled a lot in trains in the past. Here is a poem that my brother got my attention to today. I used to like it in school. It describes exactly how I used to feel.

Scottish Poetry Selection
– From a Railway Carriage

Here is a short poem by Robert Louis Stevenson about the excitement of a small child as he goes on a railway journey. Some readers may remember learning this poem at school!

From a Railway Carriage

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows, the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And there is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart run away on the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone for ever!

Category : Personal

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