Bangalore - Ranchi - Bangalore.

G got married on March 7, 2007 and i went for her wedding to Ranchi. Travel took up most of our time, nonetheless the journey was enjoyable. I had carried a book with me - Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie. I've read one other book of hers titled Salt and Saffron. But this book was... different, and not in a disappointing way. I finished it on my journey back to Bangalore, and it motivated me to write. After a long time. Here's what came of the effort:

"
March 9, 2007
Just after Guntakal
On our way back to B'lore from Gouri's wedding.

I'm fast coming to the conclusion that the world is just one giant exhibition. What else could explain the coexistence of a factory spewing smoke and a lush spread of rice fields less than 200 yards away from it? Or another industrial setup bellowing close to bare land on which endless carts of rich, golden hay provide shelter for the men who drive them?

This journey has been interesting, entertaining and in many ways, enlightening.

Godavari is vast, with bridges running over it. They serve a dual purpose, these bridges. Concrete above for highway traffic and rusty metal below for trains to fly over. Somewhere along its glistening water, a boat bobs into view. A man stands on it, feet resting on either side of the boat in preparation of hurling the net out to capture unsuspecting fish.

Thatched huts dot rice fields everywhere. Four stone pillars support a roof made of dried palm leaves. The entrance is about three feet high, and the overall effect is...well, it strikes me as being a romantic place to spend a night clear of clouds in. I've promised myself a night in one of these huts. Some day.

The sunflowers were magnificent. Like eager little birdies waiting for mommy bird to feed them, they turned to the sun for food. Their happiness at having full tummies was evident in their playfully swaying stems and flower heads.

Bano is one of the most beautiful stations i have had the good fortune to spend minutes at. There's no concrete, only the earth and shelter for people stopping over. Picket fence coloured white, in bold contrast to the sepia tones of the silk cotton tree. It was tall and full of flowers - huge, crimson and just so...sensual. No red-blooded woman could have resisted them. I picked one fallen from the tree to take home for my mom, and quickly jumped back into the train.

When seen through a canopy of the forest trees, or over the rocky hills, a sunset is a soft, rosy, yellow orb shining in the distant sky. You'd want to reach out and touch it, but wouldn't be disappointed if you couldn't because it seems to travel along with you and then, gradually vanish into thin air.

Static. It's been a sore point throughout the three and a half days i've spent on the train. I can't touch metal, or people for that matter, without having electricity sparking from my fingertips upwards.

We played antakshari on the train last night. Senior Citizens (excepting RKK, who we might as well count as one because he willingly went to the other side) vs. young blood. Kannada Carnatic and Hindustani classical vs. Bollywood songs. At 11:30 in the night. They almost beat us at it.

Prakash anna and Pratibha have been married a month now. It was totally cute to see them holding hands, kidding around, whispering sweet nothings over opposite berths and resting heads in each other's laps in turns. Makes me wish I could find enduring love too.

Uncle thought he could help me with that. He found a nice German boy on the train for me. Name's Andrew, and surprisingly, his accent's quite un-German. (not like i'm an expert at accents, but anyway.) He seems intelligent too. And boy, he's cute. Very cute, in a simple, earnest sort of way. (I think it's the beard and the eyes - a colour of brown that seems to absorb light and radiate it back as its own.)

There are more fields now. I think Andhra Pradesh is full of them. I don't think i'll want to see anything else for a long time. And i won't either, given that AP is such a bii..ig state. We've been in it for more than 12 hours now.

I'm in love with nature. It touches me like nothing else in the world. The joy it gives is unparalleled by any mortal happiness. I just may have established a love affair with it to last all my life. And i'm glad."