Penning Down My Journey

I had to take a train to Delhi for work few days ago, due to sudden change in plan the journey became sort of last minute with only a day to prepare. Sometimes, no matter how well you plan you end up doing firefighting because nothing goes the way you had imagined.

Just to avoid such situations I reached the station one and half hour early and waited for my train. It was a good opportunity for people watching. The lady who was cleaning the platform was in a foul mood as people kept dirtying the area she had cleaned. Children were crying and shouting for their parents’ attention and their parents were completely occupied with saying goodbyes, hellos, buying snacks for the journey or talking to their relatives.  Vendors dealing with dozens of customers swiftly, this is when they make quick bucks. Railway station is where you see a plethora of emotions pouring out, some are nervous, sad, lost, happy, some are excited, irritated or hyper. 

It was time for my train to leave, the engine shouted in protest as it pushed through the tracks. The night was painful, my right jaw and every nerve leading to my teeth ached. The intensity was enough to make me want to cry out but I didn’t want to scare my co passengers. I opted for the best option, popped a Crocin and imagined mini doctors treating my jaw to make the pain go away. 

As we passed Andhra Pradesh, I saw garbage spread next to tracks, the lake was littered with plastic and non-degradable junk. It seems no one is bothered to clean or patrol the area to ensure that no one throws anything. The railway authorities and the passengers continue to treat every place as public property when it comes to using and abusing the land and lake. After a point it seems pointless to ask people not to throw garbage on streets, throwing them in the dustbins seems like a better idea! Parents never seem to be bothered when their children toss chocolate wrappers on the road; once I glared at a father of a 6 year old so hard that he mumbled something while picking up the wrapper his kid had thrown on the footpath. My journey across cities always brings out this harsh reality to surface that we are lazy beings, wrapped in a bubble of our own, refusing to act when needed and crying, instead, at our so called helplessness to do anything useful.

The weather was sleepy; it even rained a little bit and the sun was hiding behind the clouds. Just like our conscience…About time we wake up from the slumber of denial.