Through the windows of my coach I see....

Each and every day I commute by train.Each and every day I see through the windows of my coach the same trees,the same fields,the same scenery,almost unchanging but still changing ever slowly.Through the windows of my coach I see change in it's most comprehensible form.Change which happens daily and which an individual is aware of.Such is the humility of this change that it is known by everyone but seldom paid attention to.

Everyday my train leaves the platform,switches points and joins the mainline.For a majority of the passengers in my coach it is something ordinary and unchanging.But change it does.The change happens when the signal is given,the guard rings the bell,followed by a short hoot of the train's horn and the train slowly ambles its way out of the platform.Change announces it's presence through the speed of motion.Slow at first then increasing and finally travelling at top speed.Change happens when the train again starts slowing down and comes to a halt at the next station.

Change thus happens and does not happen at the same time.Each change in state is change but this change is repetitive and occurs daily and nothing seems to change.For me though I forget the repetition of yesterdays journey and watch the Indian Railways work their magic in amazement.For all the employees the same trains pass through their sections daily but they still possess the zeal of those few hours where they have to ensure that each and every train arrives on time.

Through the windows of my coach I see change in the form of new establishments,new developments but still they do not seem to be entirely ignorant of the past.They possess some remnants from yesterday and some possibilities of tomorrow.

Through the windows of my coach I see the past,present and the future fuse together for the duration of the journey.The experience of yesterday,the challenges for today and the opportunities and possibilities of tomorrow.

Through the windows of my coach I see change.Change in every form.Change in every aspect.And yet I see the same. 

-Aditya R Venkatesan
21st of October 2011