The last train journey during the last Durga Puja vacation remains fresh in my mind. The journey remained important for the reason that it was a rare opportunity for me in student life. The half yearly examination was to be held after the holidays as per the notification. The news brought cheer and I eagerly waited for the opportunity to have a trek to Delhi, the capital of India.
The prospect of visiting Delhi with my parents filled my heart with joy. I went with other family members from Cuttack railway station. The train we travelled by was Nilanchal express. The train was delayed at Cuttack Railway station. There was great noise on the station. As the train arrived the passengers were rushing towards the compartments.
Some passengers were sitting on the floor and some were moving about the station in a cheerful mood. My compartment was full. Some passengers were occupying the seats in an unfair way. The passengers that came late were being penalised. There were a number of coolies in the platform too. My father had booked four tickets standing on the queue.
When the first bell rang, before the starting of the train the passengers seemed to remain alert and there was no scrambling for seats. Everybody was anxious to get into the train. But the passengers inside the compartments banged the doors so that others might not enter into their compartments forcibly from outside. The situation of passengers making themselves comfortable. The train left the station as the guard blew the whistle and waved the flag.
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We heard a sigh of relief after occupying our seats. It was my first journey by train. After leaving the station the rain gained its speed. The train halted at every station. It ran between green fields, valleys, hills and forests. The distant trees seemed to move in the opposite direction. The sights that attracted us most on the way were that of the green sugarcane and wheat fields of U.P. State. Other interesting scenes were that of beautiful birds of variegated colours. The red glow of the sun, the sight of the setting sun, and the hues of the clouds in the sky provided the charming scene to us.
Apart from the sightseeing, other things that attracted our sight were the selling of fruits by fruit vendors, the checking of tickets by the ticket examiner inside the train. I got the opportunity of going through different comic books and magazines to relieve the boredom of the journey of long forty-eight hours. By the time we reached Delhi it was 11 P.M. The journey was interesting. The loud talks of the people inside the train still came as reminiscence when I remain in a solitary place even today.