The Rajdhani back to Delhi

It's a big cliche but train journeys really are interesting. You get thrown into a small space with these people and are forced to interact in one way or another with them. Unlike a flight where you just sit still for a few hours and if you're lucky, talk to the people sitting on either side of you, a train gives you the opportunity to "explore your space". Everyone walks around and you hear snippets of conversation. Kids scream and run around because they don't feel cramped and that can be a blessing or a curse - sometimes the kid is cute and you love chatting with the kid. Sometimes the kid is just annoying and won't stop screaming or shouting. (Guess which happened this time!) You get to see these characters and guess their histories, and sometimes, before you get off the train, you might even have your guess validated.

(To get off track for a bit, no pun intended, I remember a train journey back from when I was very young and it was just my mom with my brother and I. We were sitting across from another similar family - mother with two kids who were close to our ages. (I must have been somewhere between 6 and 8 years old.) I got friendly with the older boy and my mom got chatty with the other lady. I noticed she didn't have a bindi/bottu on her forehead. Naturally I assumed that she was widowed. This greatly bothered me and I'm sure I felt bad for her but at the same time I very curious to know if I was right or if she was just "modern" and didn't bother wearing a bindi/bottu! In retrospect it seems very silly and I'll be the first to admit that it was none of my business. But back then I didn't know better. I kept thinking of ways to casually bring up the topic of fathers and ask the boy about his father. Right around that time the train passed by a famous "temple on a hill" (I can't remember the name now). The boy turned to me and said, "You should do a namaste, it's your God after all". And then it hit me. They were Christians! That's why the lady wasn't wearing a bottu! Of course while that didn't quite rule out the other possibility, I was happy knowing that I was wrong and frankly quite relieved.)

Nothing that dramatic happened this time but I was within earshot of a conversation between a military man and a civilian. After the civilian found out that this man was/is in the military, he started asking him about China and if we (India) had the guts to take them on if it came to a full-blown war. The military man gave an answer that was midway between jingoistic and diplomatic. I also had to shush a lady who was talking loud enough for the entire compartment to hear during the afternoon nap time. (On a very un-PC note, this lady had an arm that was twice as fat as my thigh, and it was hypnotic watching that muscle-less bulk sway with the motion of the train.) I got to see an angry old man send back soup, seriously! This guy had decided that if he was spending this much money on a train journey he would get his money's worth from it, so he kept arguing with the stewards - about the bedsheets, water bottles, blankets, and food. Pretty much anything he could complain about, he did. While dropping me off at the station my mom remarked about how this train would be very comfortable for old folks. Little did I know that this train actually drew old people like moths to a flame and the old people would in turn be these grumpy chaps who were bent on making their prescence felt!

The food though was amazing. This time I knew I'd be getting fed right off the bat and I was. They kept bringing in all sorts of food - breakfast, desserts, main dishes - at the right times and were even kind enough to wake up the sleeping people at mealtimes!

My one big regret was that I had planned on having access to a power source for my laptop which I was counting on to entertain me. I got a side lower seat which is just terrific in terms of having an isolated location with no disturbance from the other passengers, but had no power outlets. So I had to rely on my books and the newspapers. I did get to steal a few hours in someone else's berth while he was away but it wasn't very satisfying. The next time I get on this train, I think I have a foolproof plan to get a seat with a power outlet, let's see.