A life lesson in train

Credits: RailYatri Blog

December 12th, 2018. It was a bleak winter day and I was at the waiting lounge. It was my last day in Pune as I was going to Bengaluru to join my organization as a Management Trainee. Sitting there I had a flashback of those backbreaking schedules and fun I have had with my friends at the hostel. 

The announcement on the PA system was made for the arrival of the Trivandrum express caught my attention. I carried my bags and headed towards the platform. I positioned myself where the electronic board flashed the number of my coach on the platform. I kept looking at my watch.

 At 03:52 PM, the train arrived. I loaded my luggage and boarded the train. I found my seat and settled there comfortably. Soon, the train was flagged.

I shared the air-conditioned third-class cubicle with an old man. He seemed to be an octogenarian. His hairs were trimmed with a salt and pepper tint. His lambent brown eyes were hickory as rich as the earth’s soil; stained with the color of hot chocolate on a cold, winter night that wraps around you like a blanket; engulfs you in its warmth, and makes you feel at home. His face was time chiseled and had an empirical essence about it. I noticed that his hand becomes clenched when the cold winds of winter bite the air.

He smiled vivaciously at me and in his silvery voice he said hello. I replied in gratitude. He attempted to make a small conversation with me where I was headed to. Meanwhile, The Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) came around and checked the tickets.

We continued the conversation post it to find out he was a retired colonel. After a while, we had our dinner together. I told him that I left Pune with a heavy heart. I shared with him my endless recollection of college life- the best snapshots of my life there. 

He listened to me patiently. Once I was finished he politely asked me to pass his Bisleri bottle. In the meantime, he started searching for something in his bag. I held that bottle in my hand and waited for him. I thought he was taking out his medicines so I waited patiently. 

For the next brief minutes, he continued searching his bag and by this time my hand had worn out. I grew a little impatient and asked him to take the bottle.

He turned towards me and smiled. He said to me that when you cannot hold a bottle for more than 10 minutes then how are you planning to begin your new journey with a heavy heart? He said this water bottle is similar to your agony of leaving behind your loved ones. The longer you will hold it, the more will be the distress. Soon it will leave your hands sore, incapable of doing things it must. So raise the bottle and drink away all your recollections. Embrace them rather than making them hold you back. His reasoning resonated with me. I was humbled beyond words and I thanked him for his advice. Post this we turned the light off and called it a day. I was no more upset and had a smile on my face.

The next day, we talked on a lot of things before I reached Bengaluru station. I waved him bye and he waved back with his ebullient smile.

This was an experience I cherished for life, which not just changed my outlook towards life but also rekindled my belief in humanity and the confidence in providence.