Mom produced five bottles - full, half, big, small and medium, for me to choose. That's her style, lavish at serving.
"Buy from the station", wife quipped. That's her style, never spares a spending opportunity.
What to do, I wondered! That's my style, always indecisive.
When you get to ponder over what to do with drinking water while travelling it shows you've ample time at hand. Of course, I had. Usually I'm late, rather very late for my trips. But not this time. I was travelling by train to Chennai, and I was really excited.
Not that I've not travelled by trains. Infact my routine demands at least two trips a week. Short distances by car or train and longer ones by air. I don't relish these much. Travelling is tiring. But this journey was different for two reasons. I get to visit my son at Vellore and I get to travel overnight by train, all relaxed.
Still I remember my excitement when I travelled to Mumbai as a small kid. Those days we'd to change trains at Madras. We used to carry lot goodies for our relatives. Father, the macho, used to manage everything and we'd to just travel with him, fascinated by the engines, tracks, signals, stations and vendors. Dosas of Erode, sappadu of Kadappa, chikkis of Lonavala, goodness! it was such a treat, each leaving us mesmerized. It was when I passed tenth standard that I got to travel long distance alone. It was my first journey by AC and was indeed very cool. I was going to Mumbai to spend vacation with my cousins. That still is the best I've ever had. Proud, anxious and happy, I still owe it to my dad for having given me that gift, which no parent today, including me, would dare to. He was daring, never asked me even once where I'm going or what I'm doing, forcing me to stay disciplined by myself.
My sister joined Government service in Delhi when she was very young. Later she got married and settled in Delhi. That gave the opportunity to frequent Delhi by train. Longer route and routine, as it took three days to reach there. Krishna River, champal forest, Agra, Mathura were all fascinating. The mango rolls of Vijayawada, peta of Mathura, pot tea at Jhansi, each station had it's delicacies.
Later as I joined Army, trains became a way of life. We used to have frequent off station duties and had to travel at short notice. Managing berths weren't much of a problem for us in uniform. On one hand the priority services got and on the other the 'magic liquid' we offered as return gift, almost always assured a berth. Once when I was travelling to Pune I carried a white variant of the volatile liquid which I rewarded to the kind train examiner who gave a berth, only to find on reaching my room that what I gave in a hurry was the water bottle I carried. Imagining him sitting with the bottle and pickles or meat as side dish gives me giggles even today.
AC coaches, sleeper and general compartment, each has a story to say, of mine and of those thousands who shared them. Travelling unreserved in General compartment from Lucknow to Delhi during the escapades from the army training school, did show the life of poor India. Crowd, stench, robbery, yet peace was simply astonishing. The desert train through Jaisalmer, the Army trains where we used to live for days, the meter guage to Hissar, each train had a story to tell.
Romance! Is there any place better than a train. I did propose to someone, another one proposed to me, but both didn't emerge from the tunnel. My wife would remember the romance we had, but that's classified and I can't share. Trains do share each emotion. The joy of the arriving train and the despair of the leaving one. One station which absorbs the emotion literally must be Chenganur, such an involved crowd, laughing as the train arrives and weeping as it leaves.
And, here I was. To embark on another journey, alone, overnight to Chennai. I decided to make the best of it. Selected some choice books to read, tied up with some close friends to chat, packed some real delicacies to eat, I was all prepared to go. Above all travelling alone ensured zero conflicts as well. My only worry was some noisy neighbour but for whom I had made my plans to enjoy.
I reached the station on time, which has almost never happened before, gave an extra tip to the amused Auto driver and slowly walked to the train. What a moment, rediscovering journeys, rather the fantasies. Trains always fascinate and I'm no exception.
I boarded, anticipating the myriad of journeys in store.
As to the problem on water, the solution wasn't difficult. When in doubt, listen to your wife, for she's always right.
I did exactly that.
