~iota

When I think of train journeys, the first thing that comes to my mind is the ping preceding the announcement they make in the stations, informing passengers, almost always about how delayed their rides are. When I was a child, my parents smiled at my impressions of these announcements. I don’t do the impressions anymore. My hometown and the place my parents chose to settle in are a little short of 400kms in distance. From my early childhood, my family, because of the economy with which they could traverse this distance, chose trains to do so. My relationships with trains were formed in these early years. And trains have, and probably always will be symbols of togetherness, of time off from school, and of going back to one’s roots. When I moved out for my job, I realized what a lifesaver a train was for an average Indian citizen. The catch, however, is that if you need a ticket urgently, you need to opt for the tatkal booking, which is essentially a game of fastest finger first. Unsurpr...