As you grow older (and wiser perhaps: seems aging is mandatory, wisdom optional), you look back at all the things you used to do back when you were young and wonder how on earth are you still alive today to blog about it.
Me and a friend were talking about college days when we used to make the arduous journey from Sikkim all the way to different parts of South India which meant four days of very long travelling. Most of the times, we used to have other batch mates escorting us. But there were vacations such as Onam holidays for me during which they (the guys, if you could call them that) wouldnt want to travel back and forth in such a very short period of time; so they decided on staying back in Calicut.
I, on the other hand, HAD TO travel, even if I had to do it all alone, just so that I could come back home, stay for a couple of days and head back again. Stupidity number one.
Once, I traveled all the way till Calcutta along with other friends. They reached their destinations and went home happily. My connecting overnight train to Sikkim was at 6 pm and I remember one very decent batch mate worried about how I would wait all alone in the platform. I exclaimed - Come on! I’ll wait in the ladies waiting room - its no big deal, yaar! Thats when he informed me that I was standing in the wrong railway terminal in the first place. Stupidity number two.
He kindly escorted me to the other platform, which was miles(?) away from the previous one and he finally had to take off since I had hours to kill before the train arrived. His face was all scrunched up with worry while I laughingly waved him goodbye.
Six pm came and went - I had already left the ladies waiting room and was in the platform waiting for the stupid train to show up. Night fell and everything started becoming dark. There I sat on the platform, propped up on my rucksack, reading a book while porters in their red uniform and other creatures eyed me quizzically till 11 pm. Thats when the train finally showed up and I took the upper side berth to promptly fall asleep. Needless to say, I reached home in one piece.
Looking back, I kind of fear for my own safety and thank god nothing happened to me. During that particular journey and so many others after that. I cant imagine traveling alone right now. I need an escort to reach me till the train bathroom - thats how much I’m scared to death, honestly speaking.
I guess thats what age does to you. It makes you aware of how fearless you once were.
this is a test
Hey, Sushubh! The comment timing problem got rectified!!! Yay!
Gracias!
good to know~!
Okay - I wrote only the second comment! - Rinchen (You know, the really intelligent not cute wala person)
Hello rinchen….
When we were in collage I never considered your journeys in this way. I thought only about the fun you might be having on your way back home. At home I had to argue hardly with parents to have a trip all alone from home to collage. They used to accompany me to the nearest town at least. But I managed to give them surprises while returning from collage to which they all over reacted. One day I reached the nearest town around 7pm. I had to cover 5km more to reach home and the bus was full of drunken men except for a few families. But somehow I managed one more surprise. One day I didn’t know about a surprise harthal in our town. That day, I got the last bus anyway.
Being really stupid ,every time they cautioned I exhibited vigor and dare devil attitude, something the youth is identified for. Like you I am also happy to be in one piece and blogging about this now.
I can totally understand the parents being paranoid about their kids traveling alone now. Its a scary thought knowing that one could be that carefree and without a thought to the world.
I’m so happy both of us are in one piece blogging about it, now - yes
Tagged ya ! Come check !
Thats a very interesting tag. I’m already replying
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
Hi James,
I dunno how it showed up there. Thanks and you have a nice day too
i was wondering if its really bad for a girl to be in kolkota railway station till 11pm??? i am sure there’ll be some comments and stares … u cud just ignore them. its not coz people are gud .. but coz most people are cowards
who’d have the guts to do something bad at the middle of a crowd? if there is somebody like that, nobody is safe even inside the train 
this is what most of the people do including our own bengaluru police 
btw, if u trouble ur kids with stories of ‘its not safe to hang around after its dark’, they’ll hate u
I see it this way - as long as nothing bad happens, its perfectly fine by all means. Things could’ve got worse, maybe - you know, the kinds you read about in the papers.
Nah, there was no crowd at that station. My compartment was at the end so the place I was hanging out was deserted and spooky. The main crowded waiting room was nowhere to be seen and there was no roof above either. That types.
i read your blog but never comment …. but felt the need to say this time that your dad’s post moved me. it had moved me when i’d read it a few days ago …. but today, i felt like i share this with you since it’s his birthday today. thank you for that piece of writing.
Hi Roop,
Thank you for letting me know. I have no words to express my feelings right now. Thank you.
You are confusing innocence with stupidity.
So long as you don’t know that it’s a big bad world out there, there’s nothing to worry right?
Two sides of the coin, I guess. Just feeling a lil insecure thinking about those days…
I have replied on one of my friend blog.
But yes, nice meeting you…
See you…
I’ve got to stop approving flattering spam and then replying to them!