It was our first time to go out without our handlers. I managed to look cool and uninterested as I told the auto-rickshaw driver, "Station". A five minute journey later, he stopped and waved his hand, simultaneously signaling we had reached the train station while also pointing in its general direction. I handed him ten rupees and walked towards the ticket hall.
The way to the station involves walking up a dozen stairs and over a railway overpass, all the while passing vendors selling all manner of items of the easy-to-break variety.
The day before, Mukesh had shown us the way and it was then that we watched some trains whiz by beneath us. I was amazed to see men hanging out of every train door, watching ahead and obviously enjoying the thrill of speed and the wind in their hair. We even saw a figure or two atop the train. One man was curled up in a fetal position and attempting to get some sleep and another sat in the most relaxed position, one knee up with an elbow resting upon it, watching the scenery go by.
