| 9 Oct 2022 3:59 AM GMT
Once upon a time, a TV set wasn't as flat and thin as nowadays. Have today's generation ever wondered what difficulties were faced for carrying a TV while moving on transfer? Before Plasma, LCD or OLED displays dominated, the CRT TV had served viewers well until 2008. Perhaps,one needed to be a wrestler to lift it up the stairs and also occupied space. Yet, the huge CRT was a part and parcel of being a part of family at home because watching TV was the only entertainment for good wholesome fun.
The unexpected transfer had left me unhappy as we were to move to the western peninsula over 3,000 km. I was quite tense over the journey with bag and baggage with our toddler daughter. We had to carry everything from kitchen utensils to bedding. They were in constant worry, for us as well as for our kid. There was another valuable package, i.e., the TV set, which was also our companion. We had to fight desperately with TTE to keep the TV along the journey.
The bike and few bulky trunks were already booked in advance for the Brake Van.While water bottles were precious, we had a baby for long journey that required milk as food for her. However, the pantry car was our only hope. Nowadays milk for child is just a tweet away.Shortly after placing the train on the platform, commuters struggled to enter through the narrow door. We somehow loaded all baggage inside the compartments but one was left. That was the TV, which didn't go through the narrow door. A thought came into my mind by taking it out from the carton. Finally one of three reserved seats was fully loaded.
The train began its journey alongside the Brahmaputra in the afternoon for some fabulous views of paddy fields. It's long been a tradition for travellers to throw coins into the river. The train journey is always beautiful, you never know who your companion would be but it's a joy of meeting people of diverse group. Although the train moves through different parts of India, interestingly foodstuffs remain same inside a pantry. They're indeed tasteless but couldn't be refused for survival. Three nights' travel was like another continental journey that we could have travelled the entire Europe.
Shortly after we left Srirampur, they were all so different picture yet so similar.They are very much alike but with a different accent. Assamese can follow their language easily. At NJP, every passer-by use to have a familiar taste of dry roti-sabji with egg omelette from the lines of hawkers selling underneath a hand lamp. The train went through Bengal-Bihar via the chicken neck. We saw lines of mango trees near Malda. In the morning, fresh guava welcomed us at Mughal Sarai. It was full moon to see the marble structure of Taj Mahal in all its splendour that glorified in natural light while passing by. A huge station in the next evening at Ahmedabad had changed our mind. The facilities were praiseworthy. Seeing Gujarati's dhokla and papri, strangely enough, made us hungry.
The landscape turned into a vast barren desert. We felt almost like being transported to a different planet. The train passed the dark night hoping to reach destination in the morning. But the TTE had another opinion; it would be on right time at 00:34 hours. I synchronized my watch with the time table.The stop time was just for a minute. As it passed Hapa, I started dragging luggage near the door. Alas, the train finally pulled into our stop at sharp right. I quickly took out one after another. Soon I placed the last package, i.e., the TV, on the platform, the train had whistled. I heaved a sigh of relief when we safely landed at midnight.
Alas! We were the only passengers at the lonely station. We were sick and tired of all from rotten food eaten during the journey. I soon realised that some tea would be very good for refreshment. We occupied a long bench stretching our legs and sipping garam chai at Jamnagar. A lot can happen over three days' overnight journey, and the twist had got a surprise ending. Another TTE welcomed us"Kemchho" and pointedto the CRT TV set for checking RR at luggage booking. Although I had every confidence in my Travel Warrant, where an entry was already made, yet I frantically searched. It was mazama (I'm fine) all the way.