Nostalgia

Bonded by the Train
_{By Anjum Penwala}

During every holiday break when we went home, the tickets for the trains were booked by the student union in batches of six. Students going to a particular city made a group of six or less and gave their names for ticket booking. The first time my name was given randomly in a group as I knew no one else from my city.  For every vacation the same group had to be formed no matter how many other friends we made or no matter what differences came up in this group.

A friendship was formed on this train journey which was very different from all the other friendships I’ve made in life. For a period of 24 hours this train would be our microcosm, where all the events of the semester as well as our lives at home, about our childhood, relatives, good and bad times would be channeled into this model for discussion and analysis .

The unique part of the relationship was that while I was so close to them on the journeys, yet I would forget them once I set foot on Pilani soil. I would get involved in academics and my other friend circles and so would they and we would just pass and give a casual smile. In spite of this no one had any regrets or never having to say sorry. The next time I met them on the journey it would be as if we met just yesterday, the microcosm, recreated and updated to the latest events.

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