Hi there!
I have been trying to get myself out of my slumber state and the writing block that comes with it. So here’s another attempt towards it at 12:31 AM with “Dustin Tebbutt” singing “All your love” in the background.
Thoughts corner
I have always been fascinated by trains and train stations. It’s hard to express in words, but I find the whole thing as bizarre — the whistling of train before it visits us at the platform, the way a person exists here one moment and then boards the train; and within minutes, he is no longer here — he vanishes to somewhere else.
I often go for a walk to a nearby train station and wait for the evening train to arrive. In the darkness of the night, it seems as if a saviour in the form of a train from a faraway land has come to my rescue. It seems to offer me a choice — to escape today’s present and vanish. No questions asked. No extra efforts required. I just have to purchase a ticket and hop on the train. Isn’t it wonderful?
Have you noticed the windows of a train closely as it moves towards the station from a distance? The soft glow of lights escaping through, the silhouettes of passengers within, and the way the train coaches gently fade into a void in the darkness.
Time itself seems to stop or move slow against the drag and fainted whistling of the train.
From my terrace here in Bangalore, on one side I can see a train station, while on the other, I can see the tall buildings of my city. Leaning my head over the ledge of the stairs one night, I noticed how the windows, each one of them, appear like windows in an apartment building. The same soft glow of lights, the same silhouettes within, as if each train window is a room and a train coach is an apartment where someone is staying. All of them looked so tiny and so similar from that high up.
Amidst that silence, I think about the lives of the passengers, about the various reasons that might have led them to be on that train and the stories they carry with them, arranging them properly in their suitcases. And how with the passing of every minute, their surroundings change, and in the morning if they’ll wake up, they’ll find themselves in a different place – successfully escaped from their present.
Perhaps trains are like houses stacked together, but on the move, erasing stories, dreams, and struggles of their occupants in the present.
I wonder do the passengers also think about us as they escape their present – observing the roads, approaching stations, and passing buildings?
Here I am, siting and writing this, in one of those buildings!
Do their gazes, too, become blurred, lost in their own stories by the squinting lights from my side of the world? Do they feel a sense of assurance that they would escape the present and can take a firm grasp of their future? I wonder, do they also have the fear of being pulled back to the past instead?
And this takes me back to my irrestible craving of moving our lives from the present to the future. Like a train journey. Everything about our life would fast forward – painting a blurred image of memories and moments. There would be designated stations where the train would halt, so that we would understand more about the place we are heading towards. And we could choose to reach the end of the journey or even get off at a place that would seem comfortable.
I wonder if such a train is out there somewhere that could take me on such a journey!
Music corner
Music has been a constant part of my life, so it was evident to include a section dedicated to it. I will mostly talk about the artist I am listening to and share the stories and inspirations behind the songs.
I already mentioned Dustin Tebutt in the start of today’s newsletter and last week, I came across his song ‘White Water’ that I totally loved. You can click on below stack to listen on Spotify.
This is a very hopeful and sweet track. It’s an ode to the strength and support created by those we cherish the most (comparing them as ‘White Water’). Plug in your earphones and I hope this can bring a few of moments escape from the chaos in life.
That’s it for today. Thank you for letting me in and making me a part of your beautiful day!
Until next time, Shubham