Thavamaai thavam irundhu...
Sunday, 11th December 2005 night around 8:45, I found a chair to sit on Platform 1 in my hometown Railway Junction waiting for my train to chennai. It was scheduled to arrive at 9:40 and was announced to arrive 10 minutes late. I was quickly browsing through the two top "Number one thamizh weekly" magazines. They have raised their price to very high doing enough justification for taking a decision - not to buy them again. For a few months their content was putting me in dilemma "should I spend this much every week for junk?". Now I have no dilemma. Having finished "reading" them in no time I was sitting idle and giving you know those blank, no-thought-stare that are typical of me, giving a nerd look to others but actually pointing to void and null.
At that time I saw them. A small crowd of people, about 10 in numbers in all age group. None of them opted for a seat in the couple of chairs and a bench available around. The oldest woman who was also standing, was finding very difficult to stand, but still opted to be on foot. They were looking at the southern end of the track for any sight of the train. I guessed they were looking for the express train to chennai that was scheduled to arrive before the one I had to take. When I overheard their talk I made out that they had come from a nearest village-town and had arrived at the junction around 8pm. A well one hour advance than the scheduled arrival of the train they were waiting for. They had a few bags that were packed in typical southern districts bags. The content of them is everybody's guess given the fact that day was the last muhurtham day for the month of karthikai.
Their frequent look for the train made me, at the first glance, to think that they were little impatient but their expression, which was nothing but enthusiasm, taught me that they were not impatient but were merely anxious. I became very curious. I guessed they were going to make one of their rare trips to chennai and hence are very anxious.
Time came, but not the train. Finally, about 15 minutes late from its scheduled arrival the train they were waiting for, the one before I had to board, had arrived. They were running franatically towards the coach before them. I was bit irritated, why should they run like this when there were not much crowd to the coach they were going to and the train would stop for a full 5 minutes. They ran towards the door and much to my astonishment stopped at the window next to the door. They did not board.
The old woman immediately started talking to the lady occupying the window seat there "ammaa nalla irukkiyaa? neenga ellaa veetukku varaam nEraa pOreeha adhaam naanga ungaLa paakka vandhuttOm...". After that they seemed to talk very passionately. The old woman took the hand of a 2 year old child and said "koLLu paatti daa...". The bags were quickly exchanged, and those on board were asked not to alight by their kins on the platform. Exactly after 5 minutes of its arrival the train started moving. Plesantaries exchanged, blessings were given. The train left the platform 'the village-town crowd' too left promptly after handing over the platform ticket to the checker.
A full 1.5 hours wait braving the threatening monsoon rain just to have a glimpse of their kith & kins in train for a meagre 5 minutes. What to term this act? Passion? Love? or Stupidity? Whatever it is, they were satisfied group of people at that moment. Their glowing face told that.
At that time I saw them. A small crowd of people, about 10 in numbers in all age group. None of them opted for a seat in the couple of chairs and a bench available around. The oldest woman who was also standing, was finding very difficult to stand, but still opted to be on foot. They were looking at the southern end of the track for any sight of the train. I guessed they were looking for the express train to chennai that was scheduled to arrive before the one I had to take. When I overheard their talk I made out that they had come from a nearest village-town and had arrived at the junction around 8pm. A well one hour advance than the scheduled arrival of the train they were waiting for. They had a few bags that were packed in typical southern districts bags. The content of them is everybody's guess given the fact that day was the last muhurtham day for the month of karthikai.
Their frequent look for the train made me, at the first glance, to think that they were little impatient but their expression, which was nothing but enthusiasm, taught me that they were not impatient but were merely anxious. I became very curious. I guessed they were going to make one of their rare trips to chennai and hence are very anxious.
Time came, but not the train. Finally, about 15 minutes late from its scheduled arrival the train they were waiting for, the one before I had to board, had arrived. They were running franatically towards the coach before them. I was bit irritated, why should they run like this when there were not much crowd to the coach they were going to and the train would stop for a full 5 minutes. They ran towards the door and much to my astonishment stopped at the window next to the door. They did not board.
The old woman immediately started talking to the lady occupying the window seat there "ammaa nalla irukkiyaa? neenga ellaa veetukku varaam nEraa pOreeha adhaam naanga ungaLa paakka vandhuttOm...". After that they seemed to talk very passionately. The old woman took the hand of a 2 year old child and said "koLLu paatti daa...". The bags were quickly exchanged, and those on board were asked not to alight by their kins on the platform. Exactly after 5 minutes of its arrival the train started moving. Plesantaries exchanged, blessings were given. The train left the platform 'the village-town crowd' too left promptly after handing over the platform ticket to the checker.
A full 1.5 hours wait braving the threatening monsoon rain just to have a glimpse of their kith & kins in train for a meagre 5 minutes. What to term this act? Passion? Love? or Stupidity? Whatever it is, they were satisfied group of people at that moment. Their glowing face told that.
posted by Kupps at 2:52 AM
10 Comments:
Very well captured. The express train which symbolizes movement and the railway junction that both serves as a temporary respite from the movement and also a chance to connect with families and communities is wonderfully captured. I do have one issue with your rhetorical and liturgical questioning at the end of the post. It could have been done in a more subtle and suggestive way.
But over all nice work!
srini,
thanks for your kind words.
Earlier NV had suggested about rough edges at the conclusion of my previous blog, Kashmir the mental block, and now you are suggesting similarly. There are two things my blog:
1) I just wanted to record 'as-is' what I felt during the event and what I feel during i record the blog.
2) Above all, honestly, I don't know how to write the conclusion. Even I feel the blunt/inadequacy/too-much stuff in my blog after posting it, but I could not help putting it properly. May be I will get wise once I read more like you, NV. No flattering, no leg-pulling; I mean it.
why dont they just celebrate thanksgiving and get away with all the get-together stuff :)?
back to my silly old self..The best ending would be kuppan joining those folks in the train who got the goodies and sh[n]aring it.
srini
that will be the best ending of kuppan coz the TTE would have thrown him out of the train while it is on motion.
dei pb,
thanks giving-kku lexington mall vaasalla ninnu onnu kidaikkaama kaduppaagi vandhirukkannu puriyudhu, varuththa padaadha, ozhunga oor vandhu sEra paaru :)
Really nice post. The post name was also really apt. Good Read !!
anon,
thanks for your comments.
good post kupps.. though i am posting the comment now, i had indeed read it a long time back.. by the way, where are u these days? if in country, why don't you call up?
Blog podu man..enna onnume poda matengra.
sridara! railway stationle i thought you would be immersed in your kumutham or ananda vikatan! nice post! i guess the others have said what i wanted to say!
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