A travelogue

There is always something to learn and to experience when we travel from one place to another. It is said that Life is a book and the people who don’t travel read only the first page. We meet so many new people and get a lot to learn from the behavior exhibited by them. The learning is much more than what we gain from reading a book or attending lectures from eminent teachers.
In past few months I got chance to travel a lot and thus occasions to meet new people and observe the human behavior from an arm’s length. I had chance to travel by the omnipresent railways and the new flood of budget airlines.
What I have enjoyed most is travelling by the sleeper class of railways, may be belonging to the Indian middle class has its own impact where we find the set up in sleeper coaches similar to as we have in our joint family homes, always people swarming by our side with whom we can strike conversations ranging from studies, weather, politics and probe each others past as well as future plans and that too without feeling any remorse for trespassing each others private space. With hawkers, vendors, beggars passing through the coach endlessly the swarm of people make us feel as if we were a part of a happening society, never haunted by the loneliness, the bane of nuclear families nowadays.
Travelling by 3A depicts the syndrome of a middle class who is newly rich and has hopped from lower middle to upper middle. The identifying features are the legacy mannerism like loud conversation and still being price conscious while buying the stuffs. He is in transition so very unsure and unpredictable behavior is exhibited.
Travelling by 2A is like a person who is rich from a generation and finds solace in the secure space of the curtained coach. Unlike the sleeper class the window glasses are frosted or the visibility is next to zero, why would the rich like to see the difficult life outside, they are too safe and aloof in their cocoon which they have build around themselves .They are so engrossed in their own life that they need coach attendant for even trivial services similar to pampering a spoiled child. Their conversation revolves around the bountiful wealth they are having. They talk of holidays at exotic locations, fine dining places and all the good things they can afford. Conversation is rich in politeness and courtesy, low in pitch and quite entertaining.
Travelling by air is as if one is the king. Far above the harsh living condition of world and cruising at 35,000 feet one loses the complete touch with the ground realities. I do not know how our leaders are still able to maintain the touch with the ground people when they are routinely flying at so much of altitude, quite remarkable of them. Air travel has become quite affordable lately and it makes a person feel like a bird who has acquired new pair of wings. Charming young ladies are placed to serve and since outside window it is just cloud or sun, much better option is to have a look at what we have got inside. The air hostesses are talented people, apart from the presentable appearance they are actors, matrons as well as the sales professionals, all molded in one. They act and show how to fasten seat belts, they supervise if each one has fastened it properly and then they sell branded items as well. People generally don’t converse so no idea about their view point, but they are also engrossed in their own life and so immersed that they try to utilize the 2-3 hrs journey by working on their laptops.
All scenarios depicted above are based on my own experience of travelling from east coast of India to western part .It is not that I am sort of eaves dropper by nature but human nature is quite intriguing for me and the behavior exhibited makes me think Why does one behaves the way he does? Can I find an explanation? Can I extract any learning out of it? So out of curiosity I routinely lend my ear to fellow passengers, observe them and now since this has become a sort of habit, I might have become an observer but certainly not obnoxious, I don’t stare just steal the occasional glances and that works quite well for me and quenches my curiosity.