TRAVEL YOUR WAY TO KNOWLEDGE

 

From Sampath’s Desk:

 

TRAVEL YOUR WAY TO KNOWLEDGE

 

 

I am not an all-time traveler but make trips at times to far-off cities and towns by train and cover short distances by roadways. Besides giving pleasure, fun and frolic, travel has always been a provider of knowledge and good experiences, of course, sometimes bad experiences too.

 

I can fondly recollect many happy events that took place during my travel times however past they might have been - some of which I still cherish in my memory lane. I have always wondered how the travel times enabled me to remember and retain whatever knowledge and experiences I had gained from those occasions with such crystal clarity and pristine precision that I could always challenge anybody and vouch for authenticity of my information.

 

Exchange of ideas between co-passengers has all the ingredients of a group discussion with its positive fallout, whatever subject it dealt with. Knowledge and experiences of one passenger are always there to share with other co-travelers, of course, if only one has the inclination and open mindset to freely mingle and interact with others.

 

To put it on a spiritual plank, life is like a journey, and a journey is also like life. People come, live as a society and then disperse. The place of origin is like our birth, the stations the train halts are like different ages (or milestones) of our life and the destination can be likened to the inevitable end. You get to know about places you have passed through – say for which they are famous – historically, commercially and the like.

 

An event of train crossing a river-bridge in the background of a slew of specific sounds it generates would make even a normally shy, dull and indolent person sit up to see and enjoy the indescribable pleasure. In India, rivers are considered sacred and one could see people throwing coins into the rivers as a mark of respect and veneration.

 

Children would keep on pestering elders with questions of sorts as they see and enjoy the sceneries appearing and disappearing - all in a jiff - through the train windows, as much as the adult and other passengers do. And it will be a pleasant experience for parents  and other adult passengers too, to oblige clearing their doubts.

 

Convergence and confluence of people from the length and breadth of the country would present a minuscule India in a train. We get a glimpse of different backgrounds of people like language, religion, region, tradition, culture, food habits, dress code and traditions, etc., to mention a few. India being a sub-continental nation experiencing different climatic conditions at the same time, a long distance train would offer to catch sight of different landscapes with different climatic conditions – a pleasurable experience indeed!

 

If you have time and the right attitude and approach, you can enjoy different transient sceneries through the windows and wonder about their basic ingredients, constitution, structure, etc., some of which would be mind-blowing in scenic beauty. You always get an opportunity to taste the delicacies of food items of different regions, if you so wish. Children of different regions speaking in different languages transcend barriers and interact and play with each other – a spirit-lifter for adults too!

 

Travel supposed to be for a transitory period and just an event in one’s life may even make permanent relationships and/or lead to enduring friendships. Short-distance travels by roadways, though limited in scope to offer marvelous experiences, also do retain their share of charm in our life. It is often advised - ‘the less luggage, the more comfortable the journey’. In our life too, the broader our mind and the more we are accommodative, the more peace of mind and delightful life.

 

Except cranky and cantankerous people, normal persons do adjust to situations and demonstrate what co-existence is, a main takeaway from a train journey. Certainly travel times do impart life lessons.

 

 

(R.SAMPATH)

This article was published in the 'Timeout' of THE INDIAN EXPRESS with the same caption on 11.8.2008.