Morning in a train

On a train journey . Got up early in the morning. Others are still asleep and enjoying their dreams , whatever that be . Good time to wash up before the toilets get crowded .

The best part of a side lower berth in a 3 tier coach is that the middle berth is not above you. That allows you to sit properly without your head touching the berth above. One can enjoy the cool breeze and watch the sun rising on the plains . What a wonderful feeling it is . Life moves on as the new day starts .

The train slows down as it enters the outskirts of a town . Will stop at a station perhaps . Yes, it is indeed a station . I get down to loosen up my limbs a bit. Steaming sweet Chai in small kulhads. I am more into green tea. But this tastes so refreshing . The small earthen pot doesn't satiate me fully. I have another round of tea.

Another stall is selling hot paranthaa with subzi . I look at it longingly as the aroma of the paranthaa being fried in oil enters my nostrils. Should I taste it, i wonder. But my ticket includes meals . It will be a wastage of food . A vendor pushes along a cart filled with books , magazines and newspapers. I browse indifferently . Reading habits have changed . In my youth these carts peddled a lot of Harold Robbins . Now it's all Chetan Bhagat and some Paulo Coelho . I buy a newspaper . As I glance the headlines , the signal turns green .

The other passengers are in various states of arousal by now . Some are still supine , celebrating the nothing-to-do block of time . The train moves with a slight jolt as the activity on the station dies down abruptly. I stretch my legs and try to read the newspaper. Sundry vendors are now in the compartment. They call out the name of the different items they are selling. One of them is selling boiled eggs.

Suddenly I feel a bit famished. I order for boiled eggs. How deftly he  removes the shell , cuts the egg sprinkle salt and pepper and then hands me the pieces in a small piece of paper. The egg is still warm and I savour the taste by rolling it all over my tongue. It makes me feel good .