My Train Voyage out of Passion…

“Travel expands the mind and fills the gap”.

 – Sheda Savage

 I start my day at 4:00 am, and hastily I rush for my train. As time passes, dawn manifests with many colours like black look of the night and the sky becomes bluer than charcoal.    During daytime, the railway station is a seething mass of humanity, where we come across people of all walks of life standing next to each other, sometimes facing each other with no personal space, and no exceptions. As I change the platform in anticipation of the arrival of my train, I see that there is space between people which makes it all the more awkward. When it’s crowded, passengers take in no information about anyone, they are just objects in their way.

I board the first compartment next to the engine, and a seat will always be reserved, despite travelling in the passenger train. I am endowed with the generous elbow room and a guaranteed window seat all to myself. Train mates are my inspiration for the five hours long journey without any peril, who make me forget all the worries. Nothing can be compared sitting by a window, oats in hand, and enjoying the scenes of life that pass by. There are few passengers who start sharing their work experiences, family issues and plans. A few start working on their laptops, cracking jokes and passing comments on new entries to the compartment. Vendors do carry baskets of fruits and bunches of flowers to start their daily business in K.R. Market.

Since the passenger train stops at each consecutive station every day, Ernakulam Express crosses our path. Daily passengers who commute from Hosur to Bengaluru are season ticket holders.  The Express trains are given more privilege to pass without any delays, whereas the passenger trains have to wait until the Express Train passes. These delays can be avoided by providing a double track in this route, which is an on-going demand for years together. However, this route has a single-track provision, most of the trains running on-time were made to wait for crossing over the intermediate stations. This results in the delay of all the passenger trains between Hosur to Bengaluru and vice-versa. In turn, this affects the total number of hours that we spend in office. I almost lose an hour everyday waiting for the Express trains to cross. During this while, experiencing the unique moment like the beauty of sunrise has a positive impact on me. The sunrise is the warmest hues of the rainbow, the colors that bring a gentle passion to the soul. It is the calling of the sky to rise, be something great and to become my best self. 

After deboarding the train, I will have to travel 14 kms. within 45 mins. through a cab, public transportation or with my colleague- the best humorous person. Finally, I reach my workplace on time with great efforts. 

“You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support.” —Sabrina Bryan

Everyone might have a question, “why do I take so much of risk?” My answer to the familiar question is “Passion towards my job…”  

Taking risk to gain experience, and practicing the routine, will enhance professional and personal growth. With a thoughtful perspective, I believe that it is possible to find an adjacent area or a relevant role that provides financial aid and contentment  of your passion. Travel experience allows me to build a good network and will help to improve my competencies. I always believe, indirect experiences can have a direct impact on future endeavors. And friendships developed during travel are snapshots of life. Travelling the next day is like, being transported back to those first moments where it all started. I have become a carefree child yet again, exploring the world. Life hasn’t got in the way for me…

“You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.”  -Paulo Coelho