Stories on Wheel

    I am traveling back home today. As I write this, I'm inside a train that's running at its full capacity. None of the seats are vacant; families are returning home to spend their summer vacation. Children with their families are excited and keep on asking where they reach and when will they reach their destinations. It's quite nostalgic to watch. For I've traveled by train since I was a child. From traveling with my mother to managing the whole trip alone now, I feel I'm growing and evolving. Instead of just saying hello to people in the same compartment, I can observe beyond the basics. 

Story 1: I met a kid today who departed at the last station. He was a hyper child, and it sounded like his mother did not want him to socialize at all. It is sad to realize how people ignore the special needs of children with different physical abilities.

 

Story 2: A newly wedded couple is sharing the seat beside me. The bride can not stop crying. There might be several reasons for sure. Is she not happy or was she forcefully married? Might be my wild guess which is not at all true, but that's what happens? All of the wishes, desires, and dreams are difficult to achieve once you're married? I have heard success stories of married people too. Maybe the grass is greener on the other side.

Story 3: A beautiful woman in her thirties is below my seat. She's so humble and kind, for she offered her seat to let a stranger sleep. She realized the stranger was unable to find a seat, and her rest was almost completed. Even after a few rejections, she insisted. I see humanity not being dead after all.

 

Story 4: Sadhana, who's also my friend from college, is on the upper berth at some distance in the same coach. She wanted a lower seat but it was a randomly allocated seat. I admire her for instead of ranting about the crisis she chose to push her limits. Situations like these give us life lessons that are difficult to get from texts, especially about adjustment skills. 

Shreya