Mistakes are never mistaken!

This is a small travel description made by a girl who - even at her 23’s - doesn’t exactly know what the five letters of ‘world’ sums up to! Now read on…

Pride, arrogance, haughtiness and what not - a blend of everything - not a bit less of anything… To say it, it’s always one scoop more with me! Somewhat head strong, I was adamant in showing up myself for my classmate’s marriage ceremony.

Train No 6127 Platform No 5 and I have got enough time with me now. Early in the morning at Chennai Egmore railway station with a black leather bag on one hand and a Bisleri bottle on the other. I counted from S7 backwards but it stopped when it reached S5. Next bogie said UR and the last one SLR. I reluctantly looked inside the SLR bogie. My PM would have become happier if he ever gets a chance to see the resource utilization happening over there. It can’t be S3 - my eyebrows raised up to see people struggling to get inside! I took my ticket out and got inside that, not allowing my mind to think any further. The ticket left me with a sight of 4 people sharing my Seat No: 38.

I unknowingly understood that all the eyes in that compartment are now fixed on me. Not sure if I resembled a wild monkey just out of the bars but sure those eyes were making me feel uncomfortable at least for some time! One old lady sitting in Seat No 38 made me to sit somewhere there in the middle of some 2-3 gunny bags! Another lady who sympathized at me even asked me to take the upper berth! I took a look at the so called wooden ‘upper berth’ - even though it was dumped with some grungy lug gages I felt it more comfortable to sit there!

In a minute’s time I found myself sitting above everyone in that compartment. I heard a fight going on in the next compartment - a lady shouting at some others! I couldn’t restrain myself from thinking about that 2-tier AC travel that I made from Hyderabad to Chennai. “Man! Is this the sleeper class ticket that I booked? How will I travel like this for the whole day from Chennai to Trivandrum?” - I tried to relax myself. Looked at my wrist watch, I still have 30 minutes left for the train to leave the station. Pulled my leather bag and got down of that train. I would have skipped one or two of my heart beats while I headed straight to the other end of the train - reading out “S7... S8…S9…” Took a second for me to regain my self in finding S3 there in the middle of those soap boxes!

Newspaper… Tea… Coffee…everything passed by me. 15 more minutes left for my train to leave the station. If there is ever a ‘World’s stupidity day’ - then I should start it with this! I had a coffee as I went on studying more about my ‘stupidity’!

****************************************************************************

Train reached Nagercoil station when the family in my compartment got down leaving me alone there. 10 minutes, I got over it somehow. Well, I have 2 more hours left for the train to reach Trivandrum. Made an unnecessary call to my ‘appa’ (: father) in order to while away the time.


I know appa can never live in peace having a daughter like me! And not surprising my amma & appa were eating away each of the clock ticks there at home! If I am letting my appa to speak now, probably he would have said like this:

“She never wakes up early! She never gets to her bed on time! She never takes food properly! She never gets out of house - always digging up something in her room! She doesn’t even know how to take a bus properly from Thampanoor bus stand! Always ending up in her own world of ‘stupidities’ but never ever accepts that.” J

If I can paraphrase my appa then I am the fool’s fool ever known to him! J - And to say it, I can’t deny that as well!

In my amma’s language I will be the “Oasha koyukkatta” of the family! And I have successfully monopolized that gifted position in the family ever since! J


I lodged myself back up to the upper berth just as I became a bit afraid of the lonely night time train journey! I saw one old man sitting with his eyes arrested at me from his side berth in the next compartment. Let me say you that he was so determined with his stare that I even wondered if ever he has heard of a word called ‘bore’ in his entire life! But I ignored him completely just after some time. Two more hours to sit along with a drooping down fan and a dusty CFL lamp! I lay down there for some time recollecting some more about amma & appa. The train has now regained its pace again. Still I saw that old man sitting in the same position with his legs folded; with his eyes locked at me! I am not sure how long he would have continued with that eye exercise of his! He is looking at me sharply as if he can see some more through my clothes! After all what he has studied with this examination - I just felt like asking him this question before the train kicking me down at Trivandrum Central! J

I may be the biggest wuss in the world but I truly felt good with the journey! I always wanted to be free - to live to its fullest - with true friends - in a lovely world! Fortunately or unfortunately nothing happened in the way I always wished it to be! I still do love it when I unknowingly entered the General compartment where I saw people implementing Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the fittest”. I still do love it when I caught a local train to Chennai Egmore from Park Station. I still do love it when I somehow managed to find the subway in front of Chennai Central station with the help of a traffic police! I still do love it when I got a fright on seeing ‘Hijadas’ in my compartment! Nothing less - I still do love it when that old man kept on staring at me when it made me think more about the insecurities of a life! I still do love my mistakes when they are never mistaken!



Oasha koyukkatta : Koyukkatta is a sweet prepared in South India. If that becomes stale, then one can call it 'Oasha koyukkatta'... Sada huwa koyukkatta !