Sunday, March 04, 2007

Train spotting

Why is it that every time I travel by train people feel the need to come park their noisy brats next to me?

My co-passenger this time around was a wide-eyed, loud-voiced four year old who was fascinated by trains and tall buildings, and felt the need to shout across to his mother (who was sitting in the next seat, though from the way he screamed she might as well have been in the next compartment) every single time he saw either one.

This might have been endearing (the sense of wonder must not disappear & c.) except that we were on a train to Manhattan, so Junior was able to spot either a train or a tall building with astonishing frequency. No sooner had he turned back to the window than another train or skyscraper would swim into his ken, and with a wild surmise accompanied by a most un-stout Cortez like yell, he would have to proclaim this fresh bulletin to his mother. I'm all for kindness to children, but after you've heard the phrase "Look Mommy! there's another tall building!" for the 16th time in two minutes, you begin to wonder if 'kindness' wouldn't consist of hitting the brat on the head with a blunt object.

13 comments:

jj said...

:) !! I can very well relate to it...had several such experiences myself !!

Anonymous said...

hahaha...being a child, how abt just looking out for another place to sit? :-D

Revealed said...

Grouch!

csm said...

fal - you should thank your stars that you were not sandwitched between the mom and shouter kid :-)
perhaps that would have sparked off some violence

J. Alfred Prufrock said...

On the basis of recent posts on both blogs, I begin to suspect that you were separated from Jai Arjun at birth.

Or perhaps at the Kumbh Mela? Since both of you were (presumably) verreh propah young gentlemen who nevah raised your voices and therefore would not DREAM of shouting out to a sibling vanishing behind a horde of nekkid sad-oos in the middle distance ...

J.A.P.

Jabberwock said...

...I begin to suspect that you were separated from Jai Arjun at birth

Or on a train, when we were both 5? Falstaff was the misbehaving kid, I was the sombre one and when things got too intolerable I kicked him off the compartment, whereupon he turned into a leather-jacketed Vinod Khanna as soon as he hit the ground...no wait, that's another film...

The Man Who Wasnt There said...

mmm...how fast did you say the train was running?

Rohini said...

Imagine you have to go through that for one, short train ride. The mom has to hear those questions over and over all day long....

Anonymous said...

heartening to meet your new found siblings falstaff...nice post...

Anonymous said...

i hope your kid turns out the same way, if and when you do have a kid.. would be great to see you being kind to him/her by hitting him/her on the head.. :D

Anonymous said...

yeah but rohini, falstaff hasn't chosen to sit near the kids whereas parents choose to have those question-plagued children..Somehow, hard as it is to do so in this case I feel sorrier for Falsie.

Karan (for that is what I shall call you now), and this is addressed to your separated at birth bhai (jai) Arjun as well, surely you have been visiting/planning to visit the exhibit in new york where 150 pigeons feed on children made out of birdseed? For a small sum, I believe you could even buy rights to that exhibit.

n!

dazedandconfused said...

Fal, i think you would have liked me as a kid. They tell me that I just used to glare a lot...

Cheshire Cat said...

Ah, the joy of discovery... You're just jealous of Junior, being so jaded and all.