Thought of sharing all those experiences I have had traveling in Trains. Not sure about how much I can dig into my memory, but let me give it a try.
1: The First Journey
Hailing from a district (Wayanad) where there was no rail, as a kid it was always a wonder seeing the train. Really cant remember when was the first time I saw a train, thanks to the family rooting in Thalassery (Kannur). When ever we went to parent's place for holidays it was usual for us to get caught in level crosses. I was always excited about that and also remember dad keeping me interested and making sure to show me the train pass through. Thinking back I realize that those generation had a relaxed approach to life, in a sense they lived each moment. Its hard for our generation to get stuck in a level cross and feel cool about it. :)
Think I should mention an incident here. This Christmas when me and my schoolmate visited another school friend in Oxford we got caught in a level cross. That was my first experience of a level cross in UK. Don't know why was I so excited at getting stuck there. Guess it was all those wonderful moments, sitting on dad's lap waiting for the train to arrive at various level crosses in an around Thalassery. When I shared the excitement with my friend who was driving, I felt that he was not so excited about having to wait. Or was he more interested and excited about the Christmas Lunch?
As far as I can remember the first train journey was from Thalassery to Kollam. But I know that it was not the first time. I have heard mom telling the experience of having to travel in train to visit some relatives. It was the summer holidays after Std 2. That trip was to visit our family friend who were also our neighbors. Those days the relationships between the neighbors were so strong. I (not only me, all kids) used to call him ''PAPPA''. He was a high school teacher from Kollam working in Wayanad.
I actually don't remember much details of the travel as it was a night journey. It must be Malabar express or Kannur express. But what I remember clearly are traveling in the boat, going to riverside and watching elders fishing and whole lot of first time experiences of staying in an island (In and around Chavara). We also used to have bath in river. Another thing I can remember is the nice seafood we had prepared by Ammama.
It was the next summer vacation and we were in native. First week of May parents have been to Wayanad. Primarily for collecting their April salary and also to attend a wedding I guess. Those days are normally the happiest days in the entire vacation, as it was very difficult for our grandma to control us. I am not sure if I was worried or happy when my parents did not return on the day they told they would. Next day morning, at the sight of an Auto I ran towards it. I saw mom weeping and then dad hug me and told that ''PAPPA is gone!''. In my memory that was the first and very rare occasion I saw my dad cry. Pappa was his best friend, who died of heart attack laying on his laps on the way to hospital. I doubt if he had made such a close friend ever in his life again.
So the next train journey again was to Kollam. Unfortunately that was a very sad trip, unlike the previous one.
2: Journey to School
This was in many ways the most important journey of my life. When I think back its unbelievable that as a 10 year old kid I was so excited to join Sainik School. It was mainly due to the wonderful experience I had staying away from home in Std 5. It was a sort of Gurukul system of education that year. We were eight boys and a girl student, staying and learning with a Guru. All boys were targeting Sainik School and she was targeting Navodaya School. It was a long list of things to purchase for joining the school. I remember my dad going around with the checklist. Now I realize it must not have been affordable for him and he must have borrowed money from friends and relatives for the same.
We were all set to go. All things were packed in a trunk box, which also was part of the check list. The only thing which was not fit in the huge trunk box was the hokey stick. Those days my uncle was a auto driver and so we set off to the railway station in his auto. I remember sitting on top of that trunk box to manage space. That was the first sleeper class travel I can remember. In the train we met another friend and his dad for the same destination. It was so easy to make out, thanks to the black trunk box. He is still my friend and he is Jayadeep Jacob (Roll No:3288 from Payyannur). We had three berths reserved. In the lower birth was mom and my little brother, me in the middle birth and dad on the top birth. I was afraid of losing my hockey stick and hence slept holding it.
Reached Thiruvananthapuram next day morning. On the way we had seen Kazhakootam railway station, but the train did not stop there. So we checked in to a lodge and then had breakfast at Indian coffee house. It was a unique building like a red light house, which is why I still can remember where I had breakfast 20 years ago. Then we hired a taxi to go to the school.
At Vetturoad junction the car took a right turn from NH47 where I saw the first sign board for Sainik school. Then I remember seeing the gate on which it was written Sainik School Kazhakootam. It was a narrow road those days on one side there were quarters and other side was full of Cashew trees. Car took us to the main academic block. We were then directed to the auditorium from where I was enrolled as a CADET of sainik school kazhkootm and was numbered 3289. From that moment till date it has been one special number for me. Even today I search for that number when ever I see a vehicle number plate. From there we were informed about our house allocation, I and Jayadeep were allocated to Veluthampi house. I was the only one among the seven friends from the Gurukul system to be allocated in Veluthampi house. Others had at least one more existing friend in the same house. Nalini Miss was the Matron and Francis Sir was our house master. They checked all the items in the check list and then admitted me in. There were some more things to be purchased from the school canteen like bed, mosquito net, bucket etc.
Other things in the huge campus (350 plus acres those days) which kept me excited in the first day was two Airplanes (one yellow one blue), so many football, basket ball and plenty of other play fields which filled the campus.
By evening all the excitement had died of and the pain started sinking in. It was time to say goodbye to my parents and brother. I was almost crying and then my dad as usual tried to cheer me up.It was really heart breaking for a 10 year old to stay more than 450 km away from home. But guess I managed better than many of my friends who were crying loud and making big scene. Some were even running behind the cars. However I could not sleep that night.
More to come...
1: The First Journey
Hailing from a district (Wayanad) where there was no rail, as a kid it was always a wonder seeing the train. Really cant remember when was the first time I saw a train, thanks to the family rooting in Thalassery (Kannur). When ever we went to parent's place for holidays it was usual for us to get caught in level crosses. I was always excited about that and also remember dad keeping me interested and making sure to show me the train pass through. Thinking back I realize that those generation had a relaxed approach to life, in a sense they lived each moment. Its hard for our generation to get stuck in a level cross and feel cool about it. :)
Think I should mention an incident here. This Christmas when me and my schoolmate visited another school friend in Oxford we got caught in a level cross. That was my first experience of a level cross in UK. Don't know why was I so excited at getting stuck there. Guess it was all those wonderful moments, sitting on dad's lap waiting for the train to arrive at various level crosses in an around Thalassery. When I shared the excitement with my friend who was driving, I felt that he was not so excited about having to wait. Or was he more interested and excited about the Christmas Lunch?
As far as I can remember the first train journey was from Thalassery to Kollam. But I know that it was not the first time. I have heard mom telling the experience of having to travel in train to visit some relatives. It was the summer holidays after Std 2. That trip was to visit our family friend who were also our neighbors. Those days the relationships between the neighbors were so strong. I (not only me, all kids) used to call him ''PAPPA''. He was a high school teacher from Kollam working in Wayanad.
I actually don't remember much details of the travel as it was a night journey. It must be Malabar express or Kannur express. But what I remember clearly are traveling in the boat, going to riverside and watching elders fishing and whole lot of first time experiences of staying in an island (In and around Chavara). We also used to have bath in river. Another thing I can remember is the nice seafood we had prepared by Ammama.
It was the next summer vacation and we were in native. First week of May parents have been to Wayanad. Primarily for collecting their April salary and also to attend a wedding I guess. Those days are normally the happiest days in the entire vacation, as it was very difficult for our grandma to control us. I am not sure if I was worried or happy when my parents did not return on the day they told they would. Next day morning, at the sight of an Auto I ran towards it. I saw mom weeping and then dad hug me and told that ''PAPPA is gone!''. In my memory that was the first and very rare occasion I saw my dad cry. Pappa was his best friend, who died of heart attack laying on his laps on the way to hospital. I doubt if he had made such a close friend ever in his life again.
So the next train journey again was to Kollam. Unfortunately that was a very sad trip, unlike the previous one.
2: Journey to School
This was in many ways the most important journey of my life. When I think back its unbelievable that as a 10 year old kid I was so excited to join Sainik School. It was mainly due to the wonderful experience I had staying away from home in Std 5. It was a sort of Gurukul system of education that year. We were eight boys and a girl student, staying and learning with a Guru. All boys were targeting Sainik School and she was targeting Navodaya School. It was a long list of things to purchase for joining the school. I remember my dad going around with the checklist. Now I realize it must not have been affordable for him and he must have borrowed money from friends and relatives for the same.
We were all set to go. All things were packed in a trunk box, which also was part of the check list. The only thing which was not fit in the huge trunk box was the hokey stick. Those days my uncle was a auto driver and so we set off to the railway station in his auto. I remember sitting on top of that trunk box to manage space. That was the first sleeper class travel I can remember. In the train we met another friend and his dad for the same destination. It was so easy to make out, thanks to the black trunk box. He is still my friend and he is Jayadeep Jacob (Roll No:3288 from Payyannur). We had three berths reserved. In the lower birth was mom and my little brother, me in the middle birth and dad on the top birth. I was afraid of losing my hockey stick and hence slept holding it.
Reached Thiruvananthapuram next day morning. On the way we had seen Kazhakootam railway station, but the train did not stop there. So we checked in to a lodge and then had breakfast at Indian coffee house. It was a unique building like a red light house, which is why I still can remember where I had breakfast 20 years ago. Then we hired a taxi to go to the school.
At Vetturoad junction the car took a right turn from NH47 where I saw the first sign board for Sainik school. Then I remember seeing the gate on which it was written Sainik School Kazhakootam. It was a narrow road those days on one side there were quarters and other side was full of Cashew trees. Car took us to the main academic block. We were then directed to the auditorium from where I was enrolled as a CADET of sainik school kazhkootm and was numbered 3289. From that moment till date it has been one special number for me. Even today I search for that number when ever I see a vehicle number plate. From there we were informed about our house allocation, I and Jayadeep were allocated to Veluthampi house. I was the only one among the seven friends from the Gurukul system to be allocated in Veluthampi house. Others had at least one more existing friend in the same house. Nalini Miss was the Matron and Francis Sir was our house master. They checked all the items in the check list and then admitted me in. There were some more things to be purchased from the school canteen like bed, mosquito net, bucket etc.
Other things in the huge campus (350 plus acres those days) which kept me excited in the first day was two Airplanes (one yellow one blue), so many football, basket ball and plenty of other play fields which filled the campus.
By evening all the excitement had died of and the pain started sinking in. It was time to say goodbye to my parents and brother. I was almost crying and then my dad as usual tried to cheer me up.It was really heart breaking for a 10 year old to stay more than 450 km away from home. But guess I managed better than many of my friends who were crying loud and making big scene. Some were even running behind the cars. However I could not sleep that night.
More to come...
we have made life so busy that now we have stopped enjoying the little moments in life. thanks for bringing back those lovely memories. looking forward to more.
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