Day 24

Day 24 (8th December)

Left Bangalore after exactly a week, the task still unfinished. But early into my train journey, got news that everything is done. A wave of relief washed over me. It was another 24-hour train journey, my 6th this year. The train is grandiosely named Chalukya Express, but that is just about it. Filthy toilets, no sense of urgency, no pantry car for a train that travels almost 38 hours. I boarded very early in the morning. Most passengers were in deep slumber; they had boarded yesterday from the heart of Tamil Nadu. I cocooned myself on the lower side berth behind curtains, plugged into Mohammad Rafi on the i-pod, and immersed myself in the sunlight-bathed countryside rushing past the window. What utter bliss! The train trundled at a leisurely pace steadily losing time. E-ordered breakfast of Idlis and Vada was delivered at Arsikere, a station I used to fantasise in my childhood while poring over thick railway timetables. Idli and Chutney were surprisingly delicious. The train took its own sweet time to reach Davanagere, the lunch stop. Lunch was a large potion of pulao, watery raita and mango pickle in a sachet that I couldn't tear open even with my teeth. When will we master customer-friendly packaging? Following lunch, I indulged in a large earthen bowl of thick dahi, taking time to relish each spoonful. It was late afternoon, when I finally decided not to resist the coffee. Powder zyada, doodh kam - is my standard instruction to the coffee vendors in trains. Dusk fell at Londa. It was time to retire to the upper berth and enjoy the sleep on a rock and roll train.