A Ride Through the Night

It's been a while since I've put my fingers to the task, but it feels good to be back. This time, I'm along the lines of Batman - yet, a little into philosophy though. Yes, I'm talking about the Night (without the 'K').

Often we are moving from one place to another, as part of work, or as part of our personal chores. And almost all the cases, the mode of transport are our favorite Buses and Trains, which we rely on, more trustfully even than our own toothbrush!

So during one such various tours, the thought struck me that a wider population is being 'in transit' during the night hours. Some taking hours in single digits, and some in double. The reason for destinations may be many, for family, for work or be it anything.

Amid the rush, there dwells a night life!

Across these nights, several interesting caricatures surface with their own stories. There's the lady who has drawn the beds early, settled in her comfort zone. There's the old couple who are sitting with an RAC ticket, waiting for the 'god-like' TTE to come and grant their wish. The woman who has boarded with a General ticket in the Reserved compartment, and the TTE behaving like he is giving out ration. All these individuals have their own history of boarding the train. It's always perplexing to see that whether it be any weekday, there are enough and more people to travel! That's the magic of randomness.

One unavoidable trait of such train journeys, is the quantum of humanity which is visible across. Passengers tending to help people with Waiting-List tickets, sharing their joys & sorrows over random conversations. In a way, it's the chance for individuals to open up their minds, in front of people who are non-judging and a little more considerate. It's funny - we often hesitate to open up to close ones - whereas don't mind doing the same with complete strangers. Humans are a confused species, indeed!

Rolling themselves up - literally!

Another conundrum is the score of people in Buses. They are a bit more confused individuals, and to find solace to that, are up on alcohol for most of the times. You will find numerous people up high on alcohol and finding a nice seat for themselves, sometimes even enjoying the luxury of Sleeper class in Sitting class! Of course, the seats are more than vacant at night. And the ride is always dynamic because they revolve even 540 degrees on their seats!

At different parts of the world, there are night lives which speak of parties and enjoyment, of presentations and workloads, stretching yourself up to the wee hours of the morning and then finally getting some sound sleep of a couple of hours. I got to be witness a very different kind of night life. A night life of silence, of thoughts, and of deep resonance in oneself. Though they may be some hours in each and everyone's lives, there's a lot happening all through these hours - all that when nothing is steady!