One Unexpected Special Meeting that changed my life

During my school days, whenever we get summer/winter holiday-break it was more of a customary to visit my maternal side relatives. In fact, if I recollect today starting from my earliest memories I always used to visit them and hardly had any holidays where I didn’t. One day my father told me that we will be going to New Delhi in the coming Summer holidays and my joy knew no bounds. It was my first ever trip. And I started to fancy so many things about the trip. That evening post-dinner, my dad showed us Delhi on India map and showed us how the train would be going towards North direction from Hyderabad(the city where we are located) to Delhi.

Inside my mind, my imagination told me that I would be traveling to Delhi which is on top of me (as I am in Hyderabad) so the train would be taking me upside. This thought excited me even more. With so many myriads of observations, I have finally boarded the train to Delhi along with my family,. I still remember that day the sun was pink and gold as it rose over the plains, getting bigger and bigger as the train sped through the fields. Of course, the window seat was a treat; it is again customary in our family to have a fight between me and my brother on who would be sitting near the window which always ends-up with me winning the final judgment.  And during the journey, if you saw the engine turn while looking out of it, the purpose of the entire trip used to get served.

Post our lunch and some tasty evening snacks, I saw everyone around me was feeling sleepy and looking for their berths to have some rest. I poked my head out beyond my bunk and looked at my father, mother  and brother who were in in the lower & upper berths, beneath me. I saw my father is completely asleep and snoring. My watchful mother was a light sleeper, in anticipation of that mythical thief who will whisk all our luggage away or in anticipation of the smallest moan of discomfort from us kids, but even so, she was far from awake. It's my brother below me in a deep sleep. Before I know it, the sun is up and about. The queues at the wash-basins to brush needy teeth grow long and the train floats by strange rock formations, green fields, industrial towns belching red smoke, platforms serving lip-smacking tit-bits of food and the customary troops of waving school-children. Something about a passing train causes all children to involuntarily smile and wave. They seem to know, That this train will march on to its destination. As it had done for decades before and will continue to do so for decades after. Bringing new people to new destinations and new lives. Finally, we have received our destination, New Delhi and I see my uncle waiting for us in the station long before the arrival time of the train. He took us home and my aunt and cousin greeted us with delicious food. That evening, while I was still in the wonderment about this new experience, my  Uncle asked me “how is Delhi? Is the same that you have imagined about?” And I was trying to explain to him how much I loved Delhi and the journey. Just at that moment, he said something to me that gave a new direction to my thought process. He asked me to put everything in words and share it with him. This sentence has such a profound impact on me and even today, after 20-odd years later I am continuing in the direction he put my thoughts into. I dearly call him Atchut Babai” who is my uncle and best friend. And this meeting changed my life and my love for writing.

With Immense Love forever,
Aditya