There’s a magic that unfolds when the wheels of a train begin to turn. The rhythmic clatter of the tracks, the gentle sway as you sit, the wind that blows through the windows – train journeys have captured my heart since I was a child. To me, a train is a living, breathing entity – a space that ferries people, stories, and memories to the farthest corners of the land. It’s so beautiful to realize how a train carries abundance. It’s a nexus, a storyteller – a beautiful web of a thousand tales interweaving together into one whole, binding all its passengers together till their destinations.
There’s a charm in the energy of a crowded railway station. Constant commotion, announcements over loudspeakers, click-clack of luggage wheels. It’s all a beautiful bedlam. Some families bid tearful farewells; some waiting to welcome their loved ones. A railway station is where these stories unite with the larger journey, and also where these stories depart into their direction. And that’s where my joy for the journey starts – way before I even board the train.
And once I’m on the train, I find myself lost in a reverie. The sceneries that unfold, especially if you’ve been lucky enough to secure a window seat, are worth romanticizing. One of the most beautiful memories of my travels on the train has been watching the sun descend on the horizon. Well, have you ever had the chance to watch a sunset from your train window? It remains one of the most cherished moments of my life. The landscape bathed in a warm glow, tinges of orange and red dispersing across the sky – it’s all etched in my memory, so clearly.
The scenic beauty is just one facet of the experience; it’s the lovely encounters that you have with fellow passengers that truly enrich the journey. There’s an unspoken connection with all of them. Each one of the travelers becomes a part of a larger journey. It is a shared experience. Some of my fondest memories on the train include conversations with strangers aboard, like the one I had with a four-year-old boy a while ago. I remember the excitement with which he told me that this was his first train ride. With eyes filled with curiosity about how trains work and with a smile full of excitement to experience the moment, he enjoyed every bit of his first journey. I wondered how this was perhaps the first of the many rail journeys he would take later in life.
A train journey is a unique experience; a beautiful blend of a personal affair and a shared experience. It is your unique way that can make you fall in love with these journeys – you read a book or you listen to music; you capture the fleeting scenes in photographs or in words that you write – find your way to cherish this ride!
Let these train journeys be your melody – the melodies that tune in with your soul.