On Airports and Railway Stations …

In a country like India, the style in which you travel depends a lot on the mode of transportation used. For instance, take any self-respecting railway station; it will be crowded to hilt with people, filled with noises of luggage hauled, trolleys pulled, coolies bargaining, announcements of trains unheard of and general chit-chat of the masses. Add to it, railway stations are by rule – and they take great pride in it – dirty and slightly infested and the trains are no different.

A scene at a railway station in Chennai.

In contrast to this somber picture, are the airports. Relatively new to middle-class India, these swanky structures of steel and glass are a symbol of modern ambition. Clean and well-maintained, and filled with security checks that won’t even spare a wayward hairpin, they are a class apart.

In Contrast – The new Trivandrum International Airport looking proud and resplendent.

While the style in which you travel may differ, certain aspects of the experience of travelling remain the same whatever mode you choose. There is a lurking sense of poignancy that adds a touch of drama to these settings, be it the pompous airport or the humble railway station. As people embark on or disembark from journey, the air is thick with expectations, trepidation, fear, and excitement … a potpourri of emotions. For some, it marks the start of a new relationship, for other it signals their death.

In the end, it is but a microcosm of life, where its many players may come and go, all with their own stories to tell, but both the airport and the railway station remain ever indifferent to them. Life as such moves on. It is we who don’t.