Recap: Jayanthan, Rajan, Ahmed, and Mrs. Mangalam are all passengers on a morning train bound for Trichy, their workplace. Their train stops for an extended period at Poongudi station every day to allow another train to cross.
Part 1: Coupling Signals
Chapter 3: Comfort in Chaos
The Poongudi station was my familiar pause, a chance to stretch my legs and exchange the rhythmic lull of the passenger train for the melodic chaos of the platform. The breeze from the river, nearby, convinced us to forgive the delay of the Indian railway and its crossing.
Mrs Mangalam used that waiting period to do a walking on the railway platform. I used to accompany her to enjoy the breeze and give ears to my mentor. I used to share the challenges I face while working a temporary job at a small spare parts supplier of BHEL. She used to insist to leverage my diploma and seek better prospects in other cities. Whether I obey or not, she kept me motivated whenever I was down.
That day unfolded with the usual vendors sell their goods in a buzzing voice. The fellow passengers murmured among themselves. The wind blew gently, carrying the scent of the paddy fields and river.
Amidst the quietude, a familiar sight emerged – Jyoti, a burst of sunshine in a sea of grey, her smile cutting through the glooms like a ray of warmth. Unlike the other stall owners hawking their items, she stormed through the carriages, with a basket with freshly steamed idli-s and a jasmine blossom tucked behind her neatly combed and braided hair.
Her presence, as always, chased away the remnants of the morning chill, now accompanied by the soft chirping of sunbirds. Her smile was as warm as the rising sun, and her laughter as sharp as the pennies in her cash box.
Though tempted by her idli-s and its aroma sang a siren song to my grumbling stomach, I usually hold onto my packed breakfast. She greeted me with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her voice dripping with mock disappointment, “Home food today also, huh? If you’re such a mama’s boy, how will us get rich, eh?”. Her voice dripped with playful honey, a stark contrast to the fishhook that followed. She turned to Mrs. Mangalam, “Amma, here you are, cleaning your spectacles again? Winter dryness, my dear, not your bad eyesight!” Her laughter, warm and infectious, filled the air. Then, she moved on to the next carriage, leaving a silence, like the hush that follows a downpour.
(To be continued)
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Jyoti is going to make some difference to the passengers… I guess.
I certainly hope so. A change of pace would be refreshing. Thank you sir, for your comment..
Jyoti’s description is too good. So are these AI images. Beautiful and sharp. Im intrigued~
I’m glad you enjoyed Jyoti’s description and the AI images. Yes. They add a new dimension to the narration. Let me know what intrigues you most in subsequent chapters as well. Thanks Careena Ji. You made my day with your beautiful comments. 🙏
Jyoti is nice, I like the image you have generated. I would like to travel down south where you get idlis in trains and not samosa and kachori!
Jyoti is indeed a wonderful character, isn’t she? It’s interesting to hear about your wish on South Indian food in trains. If you go to Mumbai, dine in one of the restaurants at Matunga. Because my recent food experiences were not so positive. By the way samosa and kachori are our favourites 😄. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, I appreciate it.
I hope I do go.to Mumbai! Will check your recommendation.
A lovely introduction to Jyoti. Also that last line – hush that follows a downpour – was so beautiful.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the introduction to Jyoti and the folk-saying of the ‘hush after the downpour’. It is often used in conversational Tamil to represent chatterboxes 🙂 It means a lot to me, to hear that you liked these descriptions.
BHEL in Trichy? I know that for sure… 🙂 I do have to write about your AI images for sure as well… 😉
🙂 Reg BHEL, yes, that place is enriched by the presence of the small-scale industries nurtured by BHEL. I thought I can use it to mention about his “shaky job status.”
Reg AI, as a ‘dhristi’, today’s image has major errors. Whatever the prompt I provided, I got garbage as output! Thank you for observing such granular details and taking time in commenting. 👍
Ahan! So here comes the heroine. Quite a chirpy character she is.
Btw, I’m loving the visuals you’ve used in the posts. Did you create those yourself too?
Ha ha, yes. She is peppy. I too liked her while writing this part of story! Your comment made me to smile. Thanks a ton!
ah.. missed to answer your Q about images. yes. I generated using Bing https://www.bing.com/images/create
It is too costly to hire an artist to draw for my stories, isn’t it? Artificial Intelligence fills this gap! Pls give a try!
Wow, thanks for sharing. Lol, yes. It is costly to hire an artist definitely. That too for bloggers and indie authors like us who aren’t minting money through stories.