A Trainful Of Stories ....

SCSusila · Aug 19, 2017

@Balajee ,
Bingo ! Thats the crux of the art and craft of people watching . Watch , but be not Watched ! Takes a lot if tact .

Once , While waiting in a clinic , I was watching a lady so keenly , that she seemed alerted by the feeling of being watched . She looked at me with a strange look and immediately pulled her saree pallu to cover her necklace in a hurry !
Cant blame her . Thieves are also good observers !

Thank you for leaving a comment .

sumzaya · Aug 19, 2017

SCSusila said: ↑

@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.
Click to expand...

Exactly..

umaakumar · Aug 20, 2017

Dear Sushila,

I too love to people watch while travelling. There are a lots of things that we can observe while travelling. I always take a book with me to read, but most of the time i never read it because of the people around me.

Regards
Uma

amunique · Aug 20, 2017

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

Only the destination matters .

Like life .
good ... reality in three beautiful lines ...

LakshmiKMBhat · Aug 20, 2017

SCSusila said: ↑

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 .

Click to expand...

Yes, people are fascinating and I too like watching them

SCSusila · Aug 20, 2017

@umaakumar
Good to know , you like watching people too .
Perhaps , by observing others , we can also realise our own behaviour quirks and correct ourselves !
Thank you for thecomment .

SCSusila · Aug 20, 2017

@amunique
Thank you very much for the kind words .

SCSusila · Aug 20, 2017

@LakshmiKMBhat
Fascinating , really . No two people are alike . So something new every single time !

Thank you for dropping by.

Purple2017 · Aug 20, 2017

SCSusila said: ↑

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 .

Click to expand...

Your observations are wonderful....and meticulous.....The advantage is when you engross in this, you forget your own worries......and yourself....

SCSusila · Aug 22, 2017

@Purple2017 ,
Very true , that ! If we stop thinking only of ourselves and our woes , and look outside ourselves , there is much less to stress about and a lot more to wonder about .
Thank you fir the comment.

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