A Railway Journey

NDLS to ASR

Last year I decided to visit north India. I need not explain everything I saw at several stations in central India. Enough to say here that I started from New Delhi and decided to visit Amritsar, the holy city, famous for the world-renowned Golden Temple.

Platform – Great hustle and bustle

I boarded the first-class AC compartment at about 10.00 am. The train steamed out in time. Of course, before the arrival of the train, there was a great hustle and bustle on the platform and as the train arrived the people waiting to board the ordinary compartments ran toward it.

My berth was reserved on the Express train

I went majestically into my compartment as my berth was reserved and there was no rush in it. There was no problem for me. I was far from the maddening din of the ordinary passengers elbowing and jostling for seats.

Start

As the train started, I sat by the window and looked out amusingly. The train slowly moved out of the premises of the platform. The wonderful interlocking system which the winding train traversed presented to my ears peculiar mechanical music of the modern age unknown to our ancestors.

Chitchat with other passengers

The train soon reached the Subzi Mandi railway station and had a brief halt there. Not many passengers boarded it there and probably none alighted from it. Now as the train steamed out, it in no time gathered the speed of the wind. The electric poles, trees, shepherds with their grazing cattle, and workers and farmers working in green fields, all seemed to be rushing backward. The howling sound of the wind seemed to be the only sound I could hear. However, I had some chitchat with a few passengers who were there in the compartment.

Sumptuous breakfast, mineral water, etc.

The Railway authorities supplied us with a sumptuous breakfast and mineral water. I drank a draught of water off and on. The sweltering heat that I had experienced outside the compartment even in the morning time, was missing in the compartment.

Interesting storybook

I then browsed over an interesting storybook and a few magazines that I had brought along with me. It was an illustrated storybook and so were the magazines and this added charm to my reading.

At wayside stations

The train reached Ambala Cantt in less than two hours. There I again heard the noise of vendors selling cold drinks, tea, coffee, snacks, etc., and coolies rushing to and fro with luggage on their heads.

Intence heat outside at destination.

The Railway authorities were very particular in keeping to time, as it was a prestigious train with many dignitaries and fewer commoners as compared to other trains. The station master, the signaller, the driver, and the guard all obeyed rules in letter and spirit and the train reached pompously its destination, that is, Amritsar, having had a good halt at Ludhiana. It was afternoon, and the bright sun was shining outside with its usual tormenting heat to give me a “scorching reception.”