Goodbye Varanasi and a train journey

10th February 2018

We are templed out, stupaed out, mausoleumed out, mosqued out.

It is time to say goodbye to Varanasi and to catch the overnight express train to Delhi. It takes 12 hours and the clack-clack of the rails, the gentle swinging of the carriage over the uneven track and the snoring of fellow passengers soon sends us into a dream filled yet refreshing sleep.

Just after sunrise a man in the corridor chants “chai-chai, chai-chai, chai-chai” and it is our turn for a cup of the sweet, heavily scented massala tea; a concoction of water, pepper, ginger, sugar, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and milk.

The sun rises over the countryside; mist rises from the ground mixing with the smoke from the night fires.

New Delhi central station greets us with our friend pandemonium. There is no one to meet us at the main gate. We find out that there are two main gates.

A frog sits in a small pond.  A second frog hops into the pond. The first frog asks the newcomer where he is from.

“I am from the ocean” says the second frog.

“Is that a big pond?” asks the first frog

“Yes, it is very big”

The first frog takes a small hop and asks “Is it this big?”

“No, it is much bigger” says the second frog.

The first frog takes a bigger jump and asks “Is it this big?”

“No, it is much bigger” says the second frog.

So the first frog makes a huge leap to the very edge of the pond and asks “Is it this big?”

“No, it is much bigger” says the second frog.

“Now I know that you are lying” says the first frog. “Nothing is bigger than my pond”.

(I do not know the provenance of this tale so regrettably cannot acknowledge the author)

Vincent van Walt, New Delhi, February 2018

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