The date is 12th of June, it's 4 in the morning, and I am waiting at the boarding gate for the first of our two flights from Delhi to Maldives via Bombay. I am travelling with my mother, and this is going to be our first international trip together (we have travelled international before, but never together). It's a family trip — ours and my brother-in-law's family. Initially I didn't wish to travel along as I had some other work, but since my mother needed support in travelling, I stepped in.
While I was on the way to the airport, a thought came into my mind: how much life has changed in the past few years. Travelling with family has become something different for me over the years, and it's never been the same as before.
Summer Meant Nani Ghar
During my childhood, at this time of the year, I, my elder sister, my mother and my father used to travel to our nani ghar (maternal grandparents' house) for our summer vacation — and for us, this was the part of the year we had waited for the whole year. We got to meet our cousins, eat our favourite food and play games throughout the day.
My nani's house is in Chhattisgarh, so we used to travel there by train. It took approximately 16–18 hours to reach. My sister and I used to be very excited about the journey itself. We would pack snacks (Bishop's Bread, biscuits and chips), comics (Pinki, Billu, Chacha Chaudhary and Champak), cards and board games (Ludo and chess) to pass the time. No smartphones, no laptops, no screens, no internet. Real interaction with people and a real connection with nature.
We used to fight for the window seat, and would eventually come to a settlement — one of us sits there on day one, the other on day two. And then we would just gaze at the view from the train's window. Throughout the journey, we got to see all sorts of landscapes.
Day One: City to Plateaus
On the very first day of the journey, we used to start early in the morning. Mummy would wake up before everyone and cook lunch and dinner for the trip, since we generally took a morning or afternoon train. Back in those days there were no apps like Ola, Uber or Rapido, so we commuted to the railway station by auto, or my uncle would drop us there.
The train starts from the city, moves to the suburbs, then to villages, and finally to farmlands. My sister and I used to see things we usually didn't see in the city. Tall scaffolds of electric towers carrying wires across the fields. Tall trees planted in a straight line, creating illusions as the train moved parallel to them. A clear horizon and a skyline you never see in cities. Farmers' lands beautifully cultivated with crops like rice, wheat and mustard. Small huts, coal chimneys and ponds giving off a vintage vibe.
The most thrilling part of day one was passing through a place called "Chambal" — very popularly known for the stories of horse-riding bandits who, in old times, used to loot passenger trains. While going through it, me and Di would stick to the train window, scanning the small plateaus to see if we could spot a bandit riding a horse.
The first day transitioned from city to villages to farmlands, and finally to plateaus.
Day Two: A Mystery, Samosas and the Great Tunnel
The second day used to be the most exciting of the two. We would wake up to a surprise: when we boarded, the train was going — let's say — from right to left, but on the second day it had reversed its direction, from left to right. We got to know much later, at a fairly mature age, that the engine used to switch its position from the first coach to the last at Jhansi station. Until then, it was a mystery for us.
Our snacking spot for the day was "Pendra Road", where we used to eat the famous samosas.
The second day was purely around mountains. Imagine the train going across a mountain — on one side you see a huge rocky wall, and on the other side a deep mountainside, trees and a steep slope far underneath. When I grew old enough, I would stand at the train's door and look into those depths more closely.
At some point deep into the mountains, you feel the walls growing taller than usual, and the train starts to slow down. Somewhere within, you know something is waiting to welcome you. All of a sudden the train enters a tunnel, and there is a complete blackout for at least five minutes. All you can see are small lights placed on the tunnel walls, timed about 15 seconds apart. Once we were out of the Great Tunnel, we knew we would be reaching the station in a couple of hours.
Our last checkpoint — and our biggest fear — used to be the Hasdeo river bridge, of which we were told that many trains had fallen from it (I don't know the reality of it, but this is what we were told). We kids used to cross our fingers that the train just passes through it safely. And just after it, the rail journey ends and the road journey begins.
Now
It has been years since I travelled by train. Those train journeys have been taken over by flights; movies and series have taken the place of those comics and board games. Whenever I travel now, I usually carry my iPad or Mac with me. My sister is married, lives in a different country, and has a life of her own.
Even the way we travel has changed over these years. We started in the general coach, then upgraded to AC coaches, then started taking flights, and now we are planning international trips. Life has been greatly kind to us — we are now able to live experiences we once only dreamt of. For this, I will always be thankful to my parents, my employers, and all those who have been a part of my life and helped me reach here.
I am really excited to see how this trip goes, and I'm looking forward to it. Till then, stay tuned!