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by
Cecilia dos Guimaraes Bastos
 We were about
60 days in India, but we
hadn't traveled on “second class” trains yet. The second
class trains are cheaper and they are the most used transportation by the low
income people. The middle class use the “sleeper” trains. We got the second
class ticket due the unavailability of another class ticket and also because we
thought how cool would be to see how most India people really travel. We found
out not only how they travel, but how they live in the trains as well.
India is a country where people travel a lot by trains. India’s
railway is the biggest of the world generating thousands of jobs.
Thousands of people travel by 4 or more days in extreme simple conditions even thus, with an incredible sense of decorum.
Women have rights such as get a bigger space than men. This space is
almost the same space used by three people, while men sleep standing
or sharing a bit of floor with other men.
When, for any reason, the passengers need to leave their place to go
somewhere, like to walk on the platform or to go to the restrooms,
they put a newspaper or even a little object on his seat. Everyone
respect this sign as a taken seat, in spite the quantity of people
moving around, leaving and arriving on the train.
When we entered the train, we didn’t find a place to sit. Later we
sat with our backpacks on our laps. We tried to chat with our train
fellows which was really difficult because they spoke just little
bit of English and we spoke around 10 words in Indi. They seem like
they wanted to communicate with us and also talking about us with
each other, so we tried to “talk” with them. To do so, we opened our
travel guide book and started pointing at places. Then, they asked
if we
had already been
there. We answered yes or no. This “conversation”
through the images lasted hours. Most of the time they watched a
picture, then they talked among themselves about the place and they
made positive or negative signs about the place. Sometimes they
pointed a picture and said “Nepal”. We said “No, India”.
Google maps
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North of India is so similar to Nepal or even Tibet that one can
really make a mistake. Extreme North of India, surrounding by the
biggest “wall” of the world – the Himalaya – everybody is Buddhist.
The streets are full of Buddhist monks. The population is mountain
typical: colorful handmade, shy smiles, wrinkle skin, bare feet or
sandals spite of the freezing temperatures.
Not only on the mountains we saw so many colors, but all around
India. It is a colorful country. The women, mainly, dressed
themselves with all possible colors. Long colorful skirts and
blouses, colorful dresses, adorned with jewels, piercing, veils
(colorful and transparent) chains, bracelets, rings (including toe
rings) and if it were not enough, they get their forehead painted
red by the temple’s monks, as a kind of blessing.
Still on the train. This long trip would take approximately 13
hours, from Madurai to Dargeling. When the night falls, all passengers look for a space to
sleep. I keep on thinking about the mice that during the day walked
freely on the train. Where were they at this time of night?
People slept on the floor for all over the train. There wasn’t not
space to walk or even to move on the train. Spite all the
inconvenient, this scene seems me so beautiful: fathers sleeping
hugging their children. The environment was so fraternal, with not
signs of dissatisfaction due the lack of space. Besides, it is a
characteristic in this country: they are all a big family and they
live very close to each other.
Everything in India is intense: the smells, the spices,
the colors, the smiles, the hugs, the music, the dance and so on
that we wonder how they maintain a peaceful spirit. People are poor,
but with dignity. Another thing about them: they trust everyone. For
example, they leave their store to get change on the street. When
people go inside the fitting room to try on clothes, they keep their
backpack with them. Nobody counts how many pieces they are holding
to try on inside the fitting rooms.
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Tourists walk with their digital cameras in places of extreme
poverty without rousing envy or a greediness look. It’s really
another world, where karma or law of cause and effect is all about
not only in this lifetime but in next life as well.
In India, we faced situations that in other countries could be fatal
such as arriving around 2am in a unknown place and looking for
available room in a hotel. We walked the streets at such time,
without feeling threatened at all, even with an enormous number of
people sleeping on the sidewalks.
India is not a country to be visited by all people. It is
indispensable to prepare yourself for a cultural shock. Lots of
Indian people living on the streets; taking showers on public taps
and they use the streets as restrooms without embarrassment. I have
not seem so many people anywhere else doing this so naturally.
All the time people look at you, touch you. Many kids as well,
tugging at tourists and asking for money. Sometimes it is hard to
overcome some situations. But, with all their sufferings, the Indian
people are cheerful, smiling, warm and above of all, worthy.
Travel articles &
pictures
by Cecilia dos Guimaraes Bastos
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