No one wants to be in solitude while travelling. Sometimes the journey will be a few hours but other times, it would be a few days like a cruise or a long train journey from one end of the country to the other. “Hi, how are you today?” If the answer is an abrupt “Fine”, I do not bother them. Talking about the weather with the co-passenger is the best way to break the ice. In my experience, I found, most passengers and taxi drivers love to talk. After a few sentences, we will get an idea, what subject will interest the passenger.
While living in India, whole of my travel was in public transport. Children of today have the luxury of travelling in their own cars, there by missing that social mixing and developing new friendship. Their isolation and boredom in the car make them to ask often “Are we not there yet?” Talking with others requires good skills and patience.Therefore it is important that parents should introduce their children to travel in public transport like bus and train. Then they will learn to share seats with others or to pick a walking stick from the bus floor for an elderly passenger. In this blog, I would like to share some of the anecdotes I had during travelling, with the readers.
I have travelled with my father a number of times. Once travelling by train from Thrissur to Bangalore, we met an elderly Hindu Brahmin sitting opposite to our seat. My father helped him to put his luggage on the rack, and since then they were completely absorbed in conversation about our illustrated Chembukkavu Rappai, who was an uncle to my grandfather. It emerged in his heydays Rappai was popular and was like an uncrowned king. This was the first time I heard from a stranger about the celebrated son of Chembukkavu family. Although I was only a listener, I felt proud of my family.
That was the time I was working at Nooranad Carmelete hospital. Every weekend, I used to go to Thrissur, for which I need to get an express bus from Kayamkulum. Whilst in the bus I picked a conversation with next seat passenger, a bank manager. He vividly described an incident in which he restrained an armed robber with a dagger. The manager showed me a scar on his arm that resulted from the scuffle with the scoundrel. He ultimately pushed the culprit into a room and locked it until police came and arrested him. His unfolding of the whole episode was like listening to a terror story.
Not all social talking will pave the way for our happiness, as once I had stalking like nuisance from a next seat passenger. To go to Udumbannoor where I worked, I needed to get a KSRTC bus from Thrissur to Thodupuzha. I sat on the window seat, after a few minutes another friendly looking person sat next to my seat. He introduced himself as a pharmacist and sounded that he was well to do. I too told him about my personal details including my home address at Thrissur. During the conversation, he brought the subject of drug addiction,the demand for such drugs in the society and its potential to make money. After a few months, my mother informed me through phone call that a couple of people had come to talk to you. When I went home for the weekend, I noticed two people sitting on the bench waiting for me. One of them, the pharmacist wanted to get a prescription for pethidine. He tried coercive techniques also to achieve his goal. I told him categorically it was illegal, and if he persisted I would call police. At last he went away with a threatening look at me.
Once in a air travel from Cochin to Bombay about fifty years ago, the next seat passenger happened to be the son of a government of India minister. He too was a doctor, who was on his journey to Zambia to work there. First he offered me a Dunhill cigarette and started talking about his adventures in Zambia. He boasted about his dad’s great power, celebrity status and influence. He also bragged about the expected helicopter ride to his hospital accommodation from Lusaka airport, as the government authorities in Zambia treat him as a dignitary. It was like a marathon one way toxic talk throughout the flight and I was relieved when the plane landed in Santa Cruz airport , Bombay.
On another occasion, from Cochin to Dubai flight by Emirates Air, I met Francis, who was a very affable person settled in Florida, USA. I told him about my life in the UK and about my investment in Florida and Dubai. He too shared his experience investing in Dubai and losing it when the developer went bust. One thing I could not agree with him was about corruption in politics. At Dubai international airport, we boarded different aircrafts. But we continued friendship through email exchanges. I visited Florida a few years ago and I stayed with him. He kindly took me to my property and we had a pleasant time in Florida.
Journey to Davangere via Bangalore was tedious those days in 1968. Normally the journey up to Bangalore from Thrissur was bearable, as one could sleep after supper, but the one from Bangalore to Davangere used to be boring unless you get a good company. The express train bound to Poona used to leave Bangalore at 10.00. On that occasion, I was with a warm and likeable co-passenger heading to Goa. I noticed, he was partially blind and needed some help. His everyday sex implied humour made me laugh for a while. At about 12 noon the express train stopped at Tumkur for 30 minutes for meals.
After lunch, he asked me to get a jug of water from the station. I later learned that he had brought half a bottle of McDonald whisky and he invited me to join him for the drink. Since then he started cracking jokes and talking loudly without inhibitions. Luckily, there was none in our bay of seating. When the train reached Davangere, his quota of whisky had finished. I knew that he needed the company of whisky to get to Goa. I told him I would get it from the nearby off licence shop, for which I requested the train guard to stop a little longer at Davangere. Normally, the train stops at Davangere for only five minutes in 1970s.. I handed over the bottle to him and that was the end of a pleasurable journey!
Social interaction is one of the key factors in longevity, since it releases oxytocin and dopamine.They say it is up to any one to change a bad day to a good one. So is travel, which might look like boring. Passengers might look like strangers, but as you travel more you will find that they can evolve into good friends, especially in a cruise. A journey is best measured in friendship not in miles!
Dr.C.J.George FRCS
.jpg )
.jpg )
.jpg )
Comment Form