Abstract

This post is a penned down expression of my personal experience. It is considerably less “lean” and “unpolished”. That is by choice, as I wanted to capture the spontaneity of the moments. What you’re about to read is arguably personal so be considerate! Have fun!

Dec 21, 2021 8:17

I look out the scratched glass window out at the receding landscape. it’s buildings and bridges. The sun is above my head, looking directly down at me, kissing me gently. And the railway tracks meander and merge like serpents and timelines, streaks of solid steel gleaming in the sun, hypnotizing the wry traveler like the sirens of Messina.

Dec 21, 2021 9:27

Kinda irritated by my perpetually dripping nose. Since I’m putting my mask on, all the allergy germs are trapped inside and hence aggravating the condition. Feeling very tired and sleepy. Managed to download important material for Wednesday’s calculus exam. The landscape outside is testimony to our capacity as savages, marring the natural habitat with electric lines and power grids and distant concrete cages. Quite smoggy.

And the sun is stronger.

Dec 21, 2021 11:03

A quick nap rejuvenated my body. Found little internet connectivity at Asansol.

Dec 21, 2021 11:23

I remembered this poem I read a long, long time ago:

“Faster than fairies, faster than witches
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches. . .”

Not sure who the poet is. (It’s From a Railway Carriage by Robert Louis Stevenson. I googled).

Dec 21, 2021 12:37

Wow, MTL proofs are like elusive ravishing nymphs. Beautiful when one can glimpse them but still outside one’s grasp.

Dec 21, 2021 16:04

Cold has aggressed. Runny nose with the distinct sharp headache that I have become so familiar with. Train near Patna. Since we’re in Bihar, dad has lost his seat to two illegitimate passengers (essentially pirates or hitchhikers). I luckily saved my upper berth by laying down before the ambush.
PS: I have to take a paracetamol pill.

Dec 21, 2021 17:52

So much free time, my mind is wandering in the most useless of thought fields. Can’t study due to headache.

Dec 21, 2021 20:50

I’m writing this being sandwiched between two layers of the same blanket from above and below, my head resting on the wedge formed by my backpack and my duffel, whilst lying on the upper side berth of a moving train bound for New Delhi. My first ever visit to the capital. I’m in pain from the bitter cold of this AC couch and the headache which has become routine anyway. Life’s good, if it weren’t for this headache I might have said to have actually enjoyed this journey.

I talked with mother on the phone and to be honest, I have already begun to miss her. I was overwhelmed when I realised again just how fucking lucky I am to have two people who love me and care for me so much. I’m so so grateful for what my parents have done for me. And I love them so much.

As I close my eyes, I can hear the rumbling of the train wheels on the tracks as we zoom past strange fields and meadows and towns in the dark night. I can hear chattering passengers, occasional shouts from peddlers, and suddenly disturbing phones that goes off unwelcomed. I admit that I’m more poetic in the morning. I took my paracetamol, and close my eyes resting assured that the molecules will faithfully do what they are supposed to and I’ll feel better in the morning.

PS: Hands are hurting. I’m holding my phone whilst lying which is an utterly uncomfortable position.

Dec 22, 2021 01:20

Woke up from clammering at the adjacent compartment. Father went to the washroom so I had to stand guard. What has changed? The pill worked! Like hell! I don’t feel any headache. The train is jolting across the night as it should. It’s quite comfortable, the resonance of these metal cages. I’ll go back to wrapping myself in my blanket now. I have runny nose now.

Dec 22, 2021 05:38

The outside is still a medley of dark and light. I can see flourescent orange-yellow lights zipping past me and small stations that the train doesn’t stop at, empty concrete benches illuminated by lampposts, the familiar black on yellow scheme used by the Indian railways to write station names.

Dec 22, 2021 08:10

Breath freezing into fog. Very chilly hands. Off boarded at 6:30. Now, in this rather boring waiting room that costs money for holding up. In hindsight, a rather interesting (and lucrative) entrepreneurial idea. Missing out on very important quantum mech class. Stable internet connectivity.

Dec 22, 2021 09:41

Delhi is so much better than Kolkata, in terms of planning and infrastructure, which I value so much.

It’s a pleasant bright sunny day, just like a glossy cherry sitting atop a cake. Warm.

Here’s Connaught Place, the “heart” of Delhi, from the cab.

Dec 22, 2021 : a later time into the night, reminiscing about the day

New Delhi is so much better than Kolkata. I’m not sure why my father is so pickled by Delhites but apart from their linguistic differences (to which I’ll return soon in a future post), I find them alright. And New Delhi? Boy, did it make a good first impression. Way better infrastructure, better more planned roads, larger spaces. I know it is very early (and hence silly) to form any opinions but that’s alright. It’s time I learn about this city and her secrets.

DAMN IT’S COLD OUT HERE! But then, I have spent all my life in the tropical comfort of Kolkata (not to mention the sultry summers), well-moderated by the Bay of Bengal. It seems like cold wind is seeping into my room like a slow, evil serpent and slowly entangling me in its grip, inspite of the glass windows. My hands and feet are numb. Hey, there’s a knock at the door. Wait, let me get that….Oh, woah,

Soumik sir: “Hello, Basil. How are you? Any issues at settling?”

Me: “ummm….erhgh….ughh, wow, hello sir! It’s such a surprise to see you here!”

Soumik sir: “Haha, yes. Have you talked to your seniors?”

Me: “Actually sir, I’m preparing for a math quiz tomorrow. But will gradually meet everyone.”

Soumik sir: “Ah, alright, alright. Make yourself comfortable.”

Me: “Thank you sir. Thanks very much.”

I closed the door. Woah. What the hell just happened. Did my chem prof just came to greet me? Was I decent enough? And that’s exactly how spontaneous it happened. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I met my first prof outside the threshold of my room in a dimly lit corridor, my mind clogged by 1) the spontaneity of the situation 2) the awkward role it found itself in.

Returning back. Yes, the cold. Normal drinking water seems like what would have been taken out of a freezer back in Kolkata. I take sips reluctantly lest I fancy becoming dehydrated. Have to build a sort of heat exchanger.

I’m all wrapped up and warm. The trick to be sufficiently wrapped up and minimize physical activity. A man delivered a packet of food. I have a few essentials to fetch tomorrow and my first uni calculus exam.

PS: I was so tired from all the walking around, buying mattress and toothbrushes that I didn’t click the “religiously mandatory” pic in front of the banner. Will do it tomorrow or maybe day after that. Promise.