I am coming to my hometown after quiet a long time. For all
those people like me who have to stay away from their home for study or job,
it’s always so much happiness to come back to your own home.
I have my train from
Howrah. I have reached Howrah one hour before departure of the train. So I have to wait. I have nothing to do
now and I really love watching people around me, so I have started doing that. You
go to Howrah station at any time of the day, and any day of the week, it’s
always the same. Howrah station is always so busy,so crowded and still so
vibrant. People are coming like waves of a sea, and running towards different
platforms. It seems that the whole India
has come to a station.
People from different communities , different socio-economic backgrounds, speaking different languages, wearing different dresses, and eating different food…. With everything being so different, the common thing is -- all waiting under the same roof, and sitting together in same row of chairs. This is what I feel unity in diversity.
People from different communities , different socio-economic backgrounds, speaking different languages, wearing different dresses, and eating different food…. With everything being so different, the common thing is -- all waiting under the same roof, and sitting together in same row of chairs. This is what I feel unity in diversity.
It is Friday, so I can see families carrying heavy bags and
trollies, going for a weekend trip. Their
faces are already shining with an expression of joy and freedom of getting out of din and bustle of monotonous and
hectic city-life. Some people have started their picnic at the station,
opening huge tiffin-boxes containing the
famous bengali food loochi & aloor dum. Some people are eating samosa,
chop-muri. Passengers waiting for
long-distance trains with lots of luggage, whose train has been announced of
getting late, have started dozing. Four men sitting at the floor have started playing
Ludo. A group of boys sitting at the
floor are having their lunch. A huge board with electronic display is
showing arrival and departure of various trains. Each and every time announcement
is being made for arrival/departure of a train, people are getting up and
running towards their specific platform number. Around twenty pigeons are sitting on the display board above our head. Only they are having no hurry and are busy with themselves. Porters wearing red uniforms are running here and
there while balancing the heavy bags on their head. A song of famous hindi movie "Coolie" came into my mind-
" Saari
Duniya Ka Bojh Hum Uthate Hain
Log
Aate Hain Log Jaate Hain
Hum
Yahin Pe Khade Reh Jaate Hain"
A group of fair-skinned foreigners are sitting at the
platform. The ladies are wearing cotton
sarees with t-shirt, and the men are wearing saffron coloured kurta and pyjama. I think they are
disciples of some hindu mission with chandan-tilak on their nose. They are
waiting for a train for puri which will be coming to that platform in 5
minutes. One of the ladies among them is wearing sindoor on her forehead. It's looking so sweet on her white skin.
These people are having samosa and other snacks and drinks from food-stall in platform. This is not a scene that I see commonly, because when people from western countries come to India, they often suffer from bowel- upset and
generally do not eat local food or drink water other than mineral water. My
train has arrived, and
I am going to get into the train.
********** **********
The train has started, and I feel so good. The people
chattering around me, the hawkers selling various items, the sound of wheels on rail track—everything I can see and hear is so sweet. Outside the window as far as I can see, there are huge factories with giant chimneys emitting smokes of different colours and obviously polluting our environment. Our need is actually destroying our surroundings. We want everything to be readymade and build factories for that, without even thinking about the consequenses.
********** **********
The train entered my district, and with that came the lush green paddy fields outside, and the earthy smell from the land after rain. The sun was setting down. I just couldn’t resist myself to take out my camera and click. It was so green outside that rest of the time passed watching that only and when the train slowed down, I saw that it was entering my town's station. My father was waiting outside the station. I went to home, my sweet home. My mother and brother were waiting infront of our home for me. My pet dog, phooli ran towards me. It is my place, and I feel best here only. My mother is cooking delicious dishes I have been craving for. These days will be over soon, and I have to return to my workplace again in few days. I have my life and my family here, and I am living there. Sometimes it makes me feel very sad, but this is life, and it will go on like this. We have to accept what life offers us.
********** **********
The train entered my district, and with that came the lush green paddy fields outside, and the earthy smell from the land after rain. The sun was setting down. I just couldn’t resist myself to take out my camera and click. It was so green outside that rest of the time passed watching that only and when the train slowed down, I saw that it was entering my town's station. My father was waiting outside the station. I went to home, my sweet home. My mother and brother were waiting infront of our home for me. My pet dog, phooli ran towards me. It is my place, and I feel best here only. My mother is cooking delicious dishes I have been craving for. These days will be over soon, and I have to return to my workplace again in few days. I have my life and my family here, and I am living there. Sometimes it makes me feel very sad, but this is life, and it will go on like this. We have to accept what life offers us.
No comments:
Post a Comment