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A Trainful Of Stories ....

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by SCSusila, Aug 18, 2017.

  1. SCSusila

    SCSusila Gold IL'ite

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    On train journeys , some people read , some listen to music , a few watch the passing scenery outside the window, many sleep . And nowadays , most people are fixed on mobile screens .

    I have never done any of that. I only do People-Watching .

    It is so entertaining . What a varied cast of characters !


    When people think no one is looking ,they do some very improper things. Even in the more expensive compartments .


    Some dig their nose deeply and flick the finger towards the aisle. Or clean food particles from teeth with pieces torn from the newspaper . Gross .


    Some Women will reach their back with difficulty to adjust bra straps or will redo the knot of petticoat strings at the hip .
    Thoughtless.


    Some people never stop eating . They buy everything the railway vendors bring and also from midway stations where trains stop. Stressed .


    Some will talk to themselves , with a few hand gestures too . Now-a-days , with headphones , this does not look too strange . But , before mobile phones appeared , people talking to themselves were objects of curiosity and also of fear .
    Best avoided .


    There are happy looking people as well as sad looking people . Studying their dress and luggage , i create a profile of each person . Like 'long suffering housewife' , 'trader ' , 'schoolteacher' 'meek husband' 'socialite' 'bank manager ' etc . Certain kind of looks evoke certain descriptions .


    And I imagine a 'Reason for The Journey' . Its not necessarily correct . But , for me , for the duration of the journey , this framework is enough to create some stories about the character in my imagination. If they are seated close enough , I can hear their small talk , or their phone chats , so its more helpful for my ' stories ' .

    Good timepass .


    A trainful of people , all going in the same direction , hauled by the same engine , each with a purpose different from others .

    No two people alike .

    No two lifestories alike .

    No two passengers experiencing this journey alike .


    People we will never see again in the lifetime , thrown together , by pure chance , to share the same space briefly.

    Like the world , in miniature .


    At the final station , everybody disappears , we forget everything .

    Only the destination matters .

    Like life .

     
    VaniVyas, Purple2017, Satlak and 8 others like this.
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  2. sindmani

    sindmani Platinum IL'ite

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    Good observations. My God , I am very poor in observing people(I feel this after reading ur post). I read book during journey in train
    . I love it. Miss train journey. In USA only short distance i went in metro train(I call it metro train ). It was not that fun.
     
  3. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    I am a passionate people watcher. Nothing gives me greater joy and of course ideas for my next blog! If you are a keen watcher of fellow travelers, the journey will never tire you. Both in train and in life!
     
    sindmani likes this.
  4. sindhugowtam

    sindhugowtam Gold IL'ite

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    Wow.., dats soo good
    even I m also Interested in Observing people. I used to observe their gestures, Facial expressions to calculate what kind of a person they are (I won sometimes).., dis is Kind of funny & interesting
     
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  5. sumzaya

    sumzaya Gold IL'ite

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    V used to do this during school days.... V means v backbenchers (due to height only not bcos v wer naughty )..
    Watching othr students and make fun of them while they yawn, scratch their back, acting as if listening ... While teacher takes class...
     
  6. Balajee

    Balajee IL Hall of Fame

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    TRAIN JOURNEYS ARE INSPIRATIONAL. IN FACT MANY OF MY BLOGS WERE INSPIRED BY QUIRKY PEOPLE I MET ON TRAINS.PEOPLE WATCHING IS THE BEST PASTIME ON A TRAIN JOURNEY BUT PEOPLE WATCHING IS AN ART. y OU MUST OBSERVE WITHOUT THE OTHER PARTY GETTING THE FEELING THAT THEY ARE BEING WATCHED.
     
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  7. SCSusila

    SCSusila Gold IL'ite

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    @sindmani
    You can give it a try !LOL !

    Actually , the author who wrote the book you read on journeys would , in all probability , have created his characters based on his observation of people around ! So you get a secind hand observation ! :)
    Thank you for writing in .
     
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  8. SCSusila

    SCSusila Gold IL'ite

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    @Cheeniya
    People-Watching seems to be the foremost and most indispensable tool in a Writer's toolbox. Almost all writers mention that their characters or events in their books are based on memories of something observed by them at some time. But we cannot say everyone who observes will make use of their observations in constructive manner .
    Good to know you make use of it for writing blogs . For me its just free entertainment :) And I agree with what you say . No boredom at all , with this hobby !
    Thank you for dropping by .
     
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  9. SCSusila

    SCSusila Gold IL'ite

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    @sindhugowtam
    Very glad to know that you enjoy this too !
    Yes, people can be very funny , even without trying !
    And its true too that we can easily " read " people by their expressions Even if their words may convey something different .

    Thank you for dropping a comment .
     
  10. SCSusila

    SCSusila Gold IL'ite

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    @sumzaya
    School days are always fun days , especially for backbenchers . They get to observe the whole class and themselves escape getting observed by others , so a lot of "monkey business" is possible . :)

    Thank you for writing in.
     
    sumzaya likes this.

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