Knock, Knock

So today was the longest train journey of life. As each station passed by, all I was waiting for was for my stop to come and set me free from this arduous journey. Looking out of the window at the long, winding railway tracks; each second felt even longer than the previous one. Though a regular work route, this journey of 20 minutes from Vile Parle to Dadar was by far the longest.

As I boarded the train, I realised I had forgotten to carry some 'time-pass' for the journey. So, there I was sitting at the window seat without my MP3 player, handsfree, book to read, , note pad to write random stuff, phone on the last battery bar. All I could possibly do is soak in the early morning visuals, i.e. men and children defecating along the railway track, uninteresting railway quarters, overbridges and of course, women bickering over the space given for their not-so-modest rears. And if not that, there was just one option, to look listlessly at the more fortunate mortals with their earphones plugged in, listening to music and occasionally giving a smile or two (assuming the RJ or lyrics of a song was particularly amusing). They somewhat looked like clones, almost alien-like, lost in their world without a care for the world around them. Perhaps they were frequent travellers, so they didn’t even have to watch out for their station; it was like they have been programmed to get off at the right stop.

This got me thinking about how we miss personal and, most importantly, interactive experiences. Yes, yes, this may sound like something parents or extended relatives keep blabbering about in their patent ‘good old days’ saga. But today, it felt so true. No doubt, sometimes you do find bunch of women singing and sharing food on local trains; but that is quite rare. Sometimes, I have even noticed that after the exchange of initial pleasantries, they are sucked into themselves again.

I'm saying this at the cost of sounding hypocritical. I’m one of those lost in myself without even noticing the woman sitting next to me (unless she sweats profusely or is annoyingly loud while talking on the phone). Truth be told, life has become so mechanical. This could mean we are too selfish and self-centered to even acknowledge what’s happening around or is it plain apathy. I go with the latter. Who cares? I don’t know her? I need my space and comfort! Not that I’m going to see them again... are some of the common justification our mind reasons out. But if we did take a second to give an affectionate smile to the women who shifted an inch more to fit us in or a simple thank you, could really make someone’s day. Today I saw faces and also tried interpreting the things that they must have gone through to get them here, on this seat. The least we could do to make the day seem any better is be a little more responsive, before getting lost in ourselves.