A train journey where the questions wouldn't stop

(3 min read)

Couple of months ago I travelled back to my home town - my very own and old Kolkata. I was travelling with my family - my wife and my 2 young sons (One 4.5 years old and the other 6 months old). Although I have travelled several times in the past, this time it was different.

We booked the train tickets for the journey (yeah blame it on the high prices of air tickets). Secondly, because this was a last-minute decision; Eid was approaching and we didn't want our kids to miss celebrating the festival with their loved ones. So, a train ticket was booked under the Tatkal scheme and we began our journey.

It was just 2 months before this train journey we came to Hyderabad after 1.5 years. The COVID19 pandemic made us stay in Kolkata for a long time. And the birth of our second child made sure it was longer than what we initially expected. Our kids, got used to the weather and the foods of Kolkata. The friends and families were dearly being missed by them in Hyderabad. The pampering of relatives were recalled every now and then. They lovingly wanted to be back with their cousins in Kolkata. Video calls were not helping; in fact they made them even more emotional, full of sorrow.

When you’re stuck in your daily life, it’s easy to lose sight of what you have. Your eyes aren’t open to what’s really special about your home.

The train journey is a huge privilege for folks like us. Once in a while, we should all journey around our country by train. And review our life, think about future, ponder upon our decisions... Or simply enjoy the sceneries and relax.

This particular train journey (the one I just mentioned above) made me wonder about a lot of things. My elder son was constantly asking me questions on life, universe and everything (guess I should have read the book by Douglas Adams). Most common among them were, when exactly will he reach the destination. No matter how effectively I tried to explain him the concept of time, his questions wouldn't stop. There were questions on why train journey this time? But how could I explain economy, budgeting and suddenness to a four year old. 

One question which later made me ponder a lot: "Why do we leave our loved ones?"

I tried answering by saying it is just a temporary thing, and we all will be together soon. He then asked, "Why even temporarily? Why are we away from his grandads and grandmas?" I replied something, and then there was another question and another one after that. The questions wouldn't stop. And to the best of my ability, I tried to answer all of them. My intention was not to satisfy him with my answers but to keep his curiosity engaged. I hope and pray that I was able to do that.

In a way I was happy that his little brain was working non-stop. At the same time I was also amused that he is a little human being after all. He is carrying a lot of emotions. No matter how much we try to make him stronger and bolder, he will be more emotional than he could be rational. And that's a good thing, perhaps a great thing, in my opinion.