a train ride with a difference

Hoarse voices in varied pitches yelled 'cheeps', 'lebendee' and 'neskaafi' as the train rattled through the Bengal 'lal mati' countryside. For the uninitiated, the three words are also pronounced as 'chips', 'lemon tea' and 'nescafe' in other parts of the country. I was in a chair car compartment which meant there were iron chairs on either side separated by an aisle which saw a constant stream of hawkers throughout the journey. Frankly, the hawkers were a boon and gave me something to nibble and sip, caged in as I was by a near opaque window on one side and a snoring co passenger on the other. After I'd tasted all the sweet and savoury fare God had mercy on me and a sudden downpour outside washed away some of the grime on the window leaving me gaping.

The view of the countryside was a sight for my sore, citybred eyes. Beside the tracks lay liquid mercury pools of water surrounded by trees, sunlight dancing on them. The scenes were like a movie fast forwarding in front of my eyes. Flat yellow buildings, houses with cowdung pats on the walls and a sudden burst of coloured bathroom tiles on the outside of the headman's house. A silver ribbon track raced with me, its wooden bars making a zebra print in my vision. As the train swayed the green horizon changed shape. The trees raced in different directions like sets of props in a play. White creamy clouds billowed across a blue sky trying to keep pace with those below. The green square fields, each a different shade of green looked like parts of a patchwork quilt that mother earth had sewn for herself. All too soon the movie ended and the train chugged into a tiny flower decked station. 'Prantik' it said on the lone wooden bench on a humble cemented platform. I stretched my creaking limbs and hopped down. The 'cheeps' and 'lebendee' had long disappeared and left a rumbling hunger in their wake. I smelt freshly fried 'kochuri' in the air and followed my nose. This was Tagore's homeland. No wonder he was such a prolific writer, I thought. With such tantalizing food smells what did you expect?