After that journey so long back, I have made several journeys by train but, that first journey still lingers in my mind and thoughts.
We had to go to Madras, where my father had to attend a Conference. Since we had not then seen Madras and our winter vacations were falling during the dates of the Conference, it was decided that we would all go with father and make a trip to the South.
Regarding the visits to different places of the South I remember next to nothing as, I was rather small but the train journey is still very vivid in my mind. There, at Madras, my father had to attend a Conference whose date was the 18th of December so; it was decided to leave for Madras on the 15th.
After a long wait, at last the 15th of December came and my excitement knew no bounds. I would be going on my first ever train journey, enjoying an outing and seeing new places.
The train that we had to go by was known as the G.T. Express i.e. the Grand Trunk Express and we went to the station to board it. I think it was evening time when we boarded the train. Inside we had dinner and then my parents and my elder brother all slept. I could not get sleep as, I was just too excited. I remember that, I had taken a window so that I could see the fun outside but, alas. No sooner that we had finished dinner, it was dark and nothing was visible from the window.
It was only at the stops at the stations, I would peep out and see the rush and life on the platform. Seeing the stations for sometimes, I finally slept. When I woke up in the morning after a comfortable sleep at night, I was absolutely thrilled to look outside. The area the train was now crossing depicted a very beautiful cross section of land forms and greenery, mills and villages.
Oh, what a panoramic beauty it all was. When the