What a life!!

I was wondering what it feels to be in a lonely house on the darkened and barren lands that sprawl across on the other side on the railway track.

I have been traveling up and down for quite sometime now, to overcome my boredom. I travel by train to my hometown which is about 332 kilometers away from Chennai and lies in the mid-way of two famous cities Chennai and Coimbatore.

It is a small town or rather nowadays it has acquired the status of a city, it is named Salem. Yeah, man a very sequel to the one famous on the US lands. The journey lasts for about 4 to 5 hours by the Indian standards of an ‘express train’. It travels through a lot of hilly region and passes through a little bit of what you call a tiny belt of Western Ghats. You get to see a lot of folded mountains and you also pass through them.

I have always traveled through these places right from my childhood and have never happened to ponder before, maybe due to innocence of childhood or lost in thoughts (during early teens and aftermath).

Of lately I have been into revelations and rejuvenate myself with thoughts of several heavenly and saintly feelings that I haven’t noticed before in me. I am into looking at the other side of life with grim and collect feelings that are not humanly in more than words.

Used to a techie life here back in Chennai, I had most of the time been bored with the things on hand, surroundings, movies, music, life, work, so on and so forth………………

But somehow on this trip down to my place I had a queer feeling in me looking at the houses and homes spread across inhospitable lands and some fertile lands too, which gave a source of wealth to the poor souls there. These places are sordidly surrounded by just land from all sides. The city seemed so far off and the towns never nearer still people exist in it and have a peaceful life as ever described in the books and stories of the fairies...Do they really?? I ask myself.

I was on the train and happened to be stranded on a man-less station somewhere between Katpadi and Arakkonam (the stations that has a stop, between Salem and Chennai) and wondering when will I reach my destination(here, it is only Chennai for the time being). I saw a simmering light somewhere that looked like woods to me on the other side of the station. As I looked on I could see quite a number of lights in that area……….and as my eyes got adjusted to the darkness outside I could see silhouettes of homes made out of cement and bricks standing alive with people in it.

To my impression I thought I was just imagining people there. But no, I could see people no doubt. I could also faintly her voices screaming and laughing. I could hear shrill voices of the young ones and little children probably playing amongst themselves and pulling each other with fun and frolic. I wondered what it will be to be among them, I shuddered with the thought.

Living in a city with loads and loads of people, things, gadgets around I am not able to come to terms with my life, how it would be staying in such a god forsaken place. Godforsaken for me but it was the same ‘Home Sweet Home’ for those people there. Can’t come to terms neither can I make my ends meet, yaar. What will they do in the mornings, what will they do in the evenings, mid-day, or any time of the day or year?? How long they all have been there??

I kept on wondering……….I was wondering and there was laughter, excitement, life, fun and frolic, teasing, beautiful relations, exotic times…you name any nature of life you find it there and in peace I hope.

No, it was not a state of ‘never die’ situation there nor a picture perfect relationship with loads of goodies and appraising events in life, nor a well planned eventful life, nor a perfect story driven life…….but certainly there was life and existence that seemed to have been lost between us, our city life and not to forget the techies.

These people also saw through boredom, ups and downs, exist sometimes, lived sometimes and carried on most of the times. Their life has been theirs and they still control it. The next time I am bored I think I will make an attempt to move to a place like this and see what really boredom is about.

Wanna, come along ……….you are welcome, come join the club. Let’s try something in life that’s not natural to ‘us’ to know the real meaning of life and live rightfully. Does a word like that exist or is it an irony??

By the way, my train slowly moved out of the station and in my eerie had forgot that my stop had come and I walked into my life talking to myself of the chores in front me…..Have to catch up with a lot of things on my way back and got to do a lot of pending work at my office. Hmm……………What a life??!!!